Harmony of One
by lucesw
Summary: [Complete] Motoko crashes Keitaro testing one of Su's inventions that she was testing on Keitaro and ends up...switching minds with him! How will they solve this? Epilogue added. DONE!
1. Testing Death!

Harmony of One

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina, any of its characters, or any thing Love Hina-ish. Ken Akamatsu does. So thank him for creating this awesome manga series.

A/N: Okay, so I there I was, doing nothing, when this classic mind switching storyline popped into my brain. But it has an interesting twist! So read on! Please R&R!

Summary: Motoko interrupts an invention testing period with Keitaro and accidentally causes Keitaro to switch minds with Motoko! How will they solve this dilemma?

"…" Denotes speech

_Italics_ Denotes thought

**Bold** Denotes sound effects

::blah:: Denotes time/time change

------------- Denotes scene/scene change

######### Denotes daydreams and sleeping dreams

Chapter 1: Testing Death

"Aieeeeee!" a scream rang out from Su's room. "Help me!!!!"

"Hahaha! No one can help you now!" Su laughed. She took out a needle.

"Ahh! Take that away from me!" Keitaro shouted. **POKE!** "Ow!" Su had poked it into a blood vein. "What are you doing?"

"Well, since Tama-chan likes you so much, I'm going to take a blood sample and experiment for Tama attracting pheromones!" Su said.

"Tama-chan doesn't like me that much!" Keitaro said.

"Haha, that's what you think!" Su said. The blood gurgled as it came out of Keitaro.

"Su! Take it out!" Keitaro shouted. **Gurgle! Gurgle!**

"Done!" Su said, and she ripped out the needle and applied a Band-Aid to his arm. "There, no more bleeding!"

"What?!" Keitaro said. "Can I go now?"

"Not yet. I need some more samples. Here put on this helmet," Su said, and she jammed a helmet onto his head.

"Um…I can't see anything," Keitaro pointed out.

"You will as soon as I turn it on!" Su said. Keitaro waited for something to happen. He tapped his foot, which didn't really tap, since he was tied up, so he really just waved it in the air. Suddenly, he could see. A screen lit up in the helmet.

"Ha! I go it turned on!" Su said. "Do you see it?"

"See what?" Keitaro asked.

"What I see, of course!" Su answered. And Keitaro recognized it the moment he saw himself. "Su Cam" Keitaro read at the bottom of the screen. "Let's go exploring!♥"

"Exploring! Where?!" Keitaro said. Keitaro saw Su leave her room.

"So this helmet is programmed so that you can see what I see and hear what I hear, plus I can communicate with you, though no one else can hear you," Su explained.

"Why are we testing it like this?" Keitaro groaned. Su ignored him.

"Let's see what's in the bath!" Su said.

"Ackkk!" Keitaro cried. "Not in there!"

"Haha!" Su said completely ignoring Keitaro's cries. Keitaro closed his eyes as Su slid open the door.

"Hi Su!" Keitaro heard Naru say.

"Hiya Naru!" Su answered. "Motoko!"

"Su, get off me!" Motoko cried.

"Why Su's unusually perky today," Kitsune commented.

"Hiya Shinobu!" Su greeted. **SPLASH!**

"Eeek! Stop splashing water!" Keitaro still had his eyes closed, but he started sweating.

"Su! I said get off!" Motoko repeated. "Or I'll have to force you off!"

"So Naru…how's you and Keitaro going?" Kitsune asked.

"What do you mean me and Keitaro?!" Naru said.

"Well…you know…studying all day, everyday…for hours…do anything else?"

"What are you talking about?!" Naru shouted.

"Oh I don't know…" Kitsune said, giggling. "Perhaps you're developing a _relationship_ or something…"

"No such thing!" Naru said, causing Keitaro who was listening in to cry.

"Hey Naru!" Su said.

"What?" Naru replied.

"Catch!" Su said, and Keitaro heard some funny noises coming from the helmet. He opened his eyes.

"Acccckkkkkkkk!" he shouted, nose bleeding. **SPLURRTT! **Su had thrown the helmet and Naru was rotating it in front of her.

"What's this?" Naru asked.

"It's a camera and microphone set that let's someone see and hear what you hear!" Su said.

"Hmm. Interesting," Naru commented.

"And right now I attached it to Keitaro! What fun!" Su said.

"EH?!" Naru exclaimed. "Keitaro?!!"

"Acckkk!" Keitaro exclaimed again. Naru had turned it at a revealing angle.

"KEITARO?!!" Naru shouted.

"URASHIMA?!" Motoko shouted.

"Accckkkkk!" Keitaro shouted through the helmet. **BZZZT! **The screen went black with a fizz. _Oh no!_ Keitaro thought. _Is it death, or worse coming to visit me?_

"Psst!" Keitaro heard, though the blackness was still ever present. "It's me, Su!" Su whispered through the helmet.

"Su! Look what you did, when they get here I'm gonna die and I'm still tied up!" Keitaro cried.

"Don't worry, I added an optic disillusioner!" Su said.

"A what?" Keitaro said. **STOMP STOMP STOMP!** "Ah, they're coming! I'm to young to die!" Keitaro whined.

"Don't worry, I've already activated the disillusioner!" Su said, then all was silent. Keitaro felt claustrophobic. The black just hung there, in front of his face, his eyes, and it might as well be his whole body. He could not see a thing. **SLAM!**

"WHERE ARE YOU KEITARO?!!" Naru shouted, and Keitaro heard her coming into the room with Motoko who yelled, "URASHIMA! REVEAL YOURSELF LIKE A MAN AND TAKE YOUR PUNISHMENT!!!"

"Keitaro! Don't say anything!" Su whispered again. _I don't plan too!_ Keitaro thought desperately. **CRASH! TINKLE! SLICE!!** Keitaro heard various sounds of Motoko and Naru searching for him, but not actually finding him. Unfortunately, the sounds were drawing nearer.

"URASHIMA!!" Motoko shouted. "COME OUT!"

"Motoko, let's split up, maybe he's not in Su's room," Naru said. **CRACKKKK!** "And if either of us find him," she said after cracking her knuckles, "We'll kill him."

"Fine, but Su gave indication that he was here."

"I'll go look somewhere else," Naru said, and she left the room.

"Heh heh…so you want to play hide and seek?" Motoko said out loud, in an especially evil manner. Keitaro started sweating nervously.

"AHA!" Motoko yelled, causing Keitaro to cringe involuntarily. Nothing happened. "Nope, not there." _Phew!_ Keitaro thought. "I will tear this room apart until I have found your whereabouts."

"Motoko!♥" Su suddenly shouted.

"Su! Leave! You will only hinder the process," Motoko growled. Keitaro heard her shuffling around the room. "Come out come out wherever you are…" Motoko taunted.

"Sorry Keitaro!" Su whispered into Keitaro's helmet.

"Aha!!" Motoko exclaimed. "I heard that! GOD'S CRY SCHOOL ROCK SPLITTING TECHNIQUE!!!"

"WAAAAAAHHHHH!" Keitaro cried, fearing a blow. **BAAAAAAM!!! **He was struck by the ki waves and hit the wall. **Bzzz…** He heard a noise that indicated the "optic disillusioner" was malfunctioning.

"I see you!!!" Motoko yelled. "Take THIS!" she bellowed, and Keitaro could only scream as another wave of ki hit him. **BAAAAMM!! **The helmet somehow kept on, though Keitaro's ropes were severed. He started to run randomly, though it was quite hopeless and he kept on hitting trees. **BONK!**

"Ow!" he cried.

"DIE!" Motoko shouted. **BAM!!**

"Aieeee!" Keitaro screamed. He continued to run.

"Stop! You're destroying my room!" Su whined.

"STOP MOVING AND DIE!" Motoko roared.

"Help meeeeeee!" Keitaro cried.

"Ah! Watch out Keitaro! That's where all my electronic stuff is!" Su managed to shout before he was hit. **BZZZZZTTT!!!! **A big bolt of electricity, hit Keitaro and all went black…black…

-----------------Hinata-sou--------------------

::Sometime afterwards, in the late morning. It's Feburary, 15th, actually::

_Owwww…_ Keitaro thought, regaining consciousness slowly. He didn't want to. It was painful to think that he was still alive. Actually, it was painful to think at all. _How did I live through that? It's like I went through death torture and then was yanked back to life. Yanked painfully by my finger,_ he thought, because his finger really hurt.

"Motoko? Are you alright?" Naru asked. _Huh, Motoko must have been hit too,_ Keitaro thought. _Not surprising as she hit all those electronics._ He slowly moved his finger.

"Oww…" Keitaro heard, and assumed that it was Motoko groaning.

"Keitaro! Are you up, finally?" Naru asked.

"Yeah…" Keitaro answered.

"Ah! Motoko is up too!" Su said. "Sorry, Motoko, but that's what you get for hitting all my electronics."

"Urg," Motoko answered.

"Keitaro, perhaps you should keep down," Naru said. Keitaro opened his eyes. He was in the Hinata-sou living room, lying on a futon. He barely felt like he could move.

"Why must I be hit?" he asked himself.

"Well, you did get zapped from Su's electronics stuff, so it's sort of your fault," Naru said.

"My fault?!! How could it be my fault?" Keitaro asked, sitting up suddenly. "OW!" he cried, feeling a giant pain in his back. He clutched it.

"Don't get up so suddenly! You'll hurt yourself!" Naru cried, and she gently lay Keitaro on the ground. _Ah, she's being so nice,_ Keitaro thought.

"Keitaro!" Su cried out. "Next time don't run towards my important inventions! Now I have to rebuild that helmet camera!"

"What?! Don't rebuild that ever again!" Naru said. **Thump!** "Oh no, Keitaro fell unconscious again!" _Eh? I'm perfectly conscious!_ Keitaro thought. _I'm right here!_

"What are you talking about, Narusegawa?" Keitaro asked, and he slowly sat up. Naru was tapping her foot impatiently and pointing.

"See? That idiot's unconscious again. Of course he would be," she sighed.

"Wait, that's not Keitaro!" Keitaro said. "I'm Keitaro! I'm right here!"

"Yeah, and I'm a monkey," Naru said.

"But you were!" Su exclaimed.

"That play doesn't count!!" Naru shouted. Keitaro was thoroughly confused. How could he not be Keitaro? _Let's see…I'm a ronin who failed three times…I'm the guy Narusegawa studies with and also calls an idiot every other time…I'm the manager of the Hinata-sou…I must be Keitaro!_

"Err…Narusegawa?" Keitaro asked.

"Huh?" Naru said, pausing from chasing Su.

"Who am I if I'm not Keitaro?"

"How hard did you hit your head? You're Motoko-chan!" Naru said. "Look!" she said, taking out a mirror. **DOO–OOOOON!!! **Motoko looked back at Keitaro.

"I…uh…err…wha-?" he stuttered. He looked at himself and finally realized he wasn't wearing his typical sweatshirt and pants, but a hakama. (What's the shirt called?)

"I, err, um…" Keitaro continued to stutter. How had this transpired?

"Looky!" Su cried out. "Keitaro's awake again!"

"DIE URASHIMA!!!" Keitaro suddenly heard as he saw himself full of rage (an expression yet not worn on that face) coming at him with a sword.

"EH?!" Naru said. "What's going on?"

"Hmmmm…" Su mused.

"Help meeee!!!" Keitaro cried, running, but tripping on the long hakama.

"What's going on?" Kitsune said. She sweat-dropped when she saw the scene. "Keitaro's attacking…Motoko? And Motoko's running away?"

"Apparently, though I don't get it at all…" Naru said, still shocked.

"Sempai!" Shinobu cried. "What are you doing?!!" (In case you haven't figured it out by now, and in case you didn't read the summary, Motoko is in Keitaro's body and Keitaro is in Motoko's body)

"ROCK SPLITTING TECHNIQUE!!"

"AIEEEEEE!!!!!!!"

"Um…." Kitsune and Naru sweat-dropped. Shinobu's jaw dropped. _Since when did Sempai learn Motoko's special move?_ she thought. Motoko breathed heavily.

"Err…Keitaro? How come you just attacked Motoko?"

"I'm Motoko!" Motoko said.

"Um…" Kitsune said. "You're definitely Keitaro," she said. She ripped off his shirt.

"Kitsune!" Motoko cried.

"See? No breasts, how can you be Motoko? Plus…" Kitsune said, reaching for the pants.

"KITSUNE! DON'T DO SUCH PERVERTED THINGS!" Naru shouted, smacking Kitsune before she could reach the pants.

"Aieeee!" Keitaro shouted, falling back down through the Hinata-sou. **BAAAM!!** The was a dust cloud from the landing.

"Motoko must be dead," Naru said. Keitaro got up. "Eh? Why isn't she more hurt?"

"Ow…" Keitaro said. "Why must you always hit me?"

"DIE!" Motoko screamed, and lunged, but Kitsune held her back.

"Chill! Chill!" she told her.

"Yikes!" Keitaro cried and he hid behind Naru.

"Okay, this must be a weird dream, somebody pinch me," Naru said.

--------------------Hinata-sou Living Room-----------------

::12:00 PM::

"Can we hurry this up? I'm hungry!" Su whined.

"Su! There are more important things to worry about!" Naru said. She had gathered everyone, well almost everyone. "Where is Haruka-san?" Motoko glared at Keitaro who was cringing. (A/N: This seems like a good time to mention that when I say "Motoko" I mean Motoko in Keitaro's body and vice versa with Keitaro) Keitaro looked away.

"Sorry I'm late, what's the big important meeting about?" Haruka said, entering. "Eh?" she said, upon seeing what she thought was Keitaro glaring evilly at Motoko. "Did something I need to know about happen?"

"Hello Aunt Haruka!" Keitaro said. **BAAM!** Haruka elbowed Keitaro.

"Eh?!! Did I just?" Haruka asked, seeing that she had just hit Motoko. "Err…I'm sorry, it was just impulse…but why did you call me Aunt?"

"Haruka-san, please just sit down and we'll explain it," Naru said. She did.

"So what's up? Can someone explain something?" Haruka asked.

"Yes! What's wrong with Sempai?!" Shinobu asked worriedly.

"Well, it goes like this," Naru said. "Apparently Keitaro's mind is vested in Motoko's body and vice versa."

"Um…don't things like this only happen in comics?" Kitsune asked, sweat-dropping.

"Well, you can ask them who is who," Naru said.

"Motoko, raise your hand," Kitsune said. She did.

"Well…what if they're just faking?" Kitsune asked.

"Why would I WANT to be Urashima?!!!" Motoko shouted.

"Woah! That's Motoko all right," Kitsune said. An awkward silence ensued. "It must be weird having a girl's body all of a sudden!" Kitsune giggled.

"Urashima…" Motoko growled. "Have you done anything perverted?"

"Uh…" Keitaro said, turning red.

"You HAVE!" Motoko said, and grabbed her sword.

"Nothing! Honest! I swear!" Keitaro cried, stumbling to the floor.

"Calm down, this won't help anybody!" Naru said.

"Grrrr…!!!!" Motoko growled, and she sat back down. Keitaro gulped.

"Now, what are we going to do about it?" Naru asked.

"What can we do?" Haruka asked.

"I don't know!" Naru said.

"Exactly. How are we supposed to solve this?"

"Su! If you're electronics messed it up, can you build a mind switcher to switch them back?" Shinobu asked.

"I can try!" Su shouted. "But it'll take a while."

"A while? How long is a while?" Motoko asked, glaring at Keitaro.

"Oh, about a week or so," Su said.

"A week!" Keitaro said, weak.

"A WEEK?!!" Motoko shouted, not being able to believe that she would have to be Urashima for a whole week.

"Yup! But I don't know if it will work…" Su said.

"It's YOUR fault!" Motoko said, and she grabbed him and started to choke him.

"This is an out of body experience," Haruka commented upon seeing the body of Keitaro choke Motoko.

"Don't hurt me! Then your body will be bad when you return!" Keitaro said, and Motoko instantly stopped.

"That's right! You can't slack off now! You must train every morning at 5:00 in the morning!" Motoko said. "I can't have my swordsmanship worsen just because you're inhabiting it."

"5:00 in the morning?!!!" Keitaro whined.

"And you can't peep at my body!!" Motoko said.

"What about my body?!" Keitaro asked.

"Don't worry, I have no intention of doing that!" Motoko said defiantly.

"So I'm not supposed to take a bath for a week?" Keitaro asked.

"Of course not, you'll smell horrible!" Motoko said.

"Then how are we going to bathe?!" Keitaro asked.

"You'll have to bathe together!" Haruka said.

"Eh?" Motoko and Keitaro asked. "To-together?"

"It goes like this. You both close your eyes and ask the other person to dress and undress and bathe the other. Then Keitaro won't see Motoko's body nor Motoko see Keitaro's," Haruka explained.

"Err…that could work…" Keitaro said.

"Of course not!!" Motoko yelled, and she bashed Keitaro on the head.

"What did I say about hitting your own body?" Keitaro asked.

"Eh…" Motoko trailed off. She had forgotten.

"What else could we do?" Keitaro said.

"Fine, we'll try it **once**," Motoko said.

"Any thing else?" Haruka asked. "School or such?"

"Eep! I totally forgot about school!" Motoko said.

"Ah, and I have Todai exams soon!" Keitaro said.

"What are we going to do?" Motoko asked. "I can't let you go to school as me!!"

"I can't let you take the exams as me either!!" Keitaro said. "You'll fail!"

"HEY! You're the stupid one!" Motoko shot back.

"It's not like you've learned the material, though," Keitaro said.

"I could probably do better than you," Motoko said, defiant.

"True, that's very possible," Naru said.

"Waaah! Don't say that!" Keitaro cried.

"But what about my school!!" Motoko said.

"Just tell Keitaro what to do, I'm sure he's smart enough to pass through high school," Haruka said. Motoko glared at Keitaro again. "Well, if that's it, I'll be going," Haruka said.

"I'll go start work on that device!" Su said, and she bounced to her room.

"Err…" Shinobu stuttered, and she left quietly.

"I have to study for the exams…" Naru said.

"Naru-sempai, I shall join you as soon as I finish here," Motoko said, and glared at Keitaro again.

"Heh, well you two have fun," Kitsune said, and she left also with Naru.

"So…" Keitaro started.

"Sit down and I shall explain what goes on at my school," Motoko said. "I am a member of the kendo club and get good grades so don't go messing that up!"

"I won't!" Keitaro promised.

"Also, don't actually fight anyone. I'm sure you could not live up to my name and make whatever excuse, it's better than you actually fighting. Remember, we shall train everyday at 5:00 AM to get you to be decently good at fighting."

"Five in the morning?" Keitaro complained.

"You cannot allow my body to deteriorate while you inhabit it. Second, don't go near any boys. I hate those spineless jellyfishes," Motoko said with special loathing.

"Err…do you have any friends? Won't they notice that you're different?" Keitaro asked.

"Hmm…well…I do have some friends," Motoko said.

"Some? What are they, I think you have to tell me about them."

"Well…"

"Why are you hesitating? Unless you want them to suspect something," Keitaro said.

"They can't prove anything! You look like me in every respect."

"Still…"

"Alright. I have a circle of friends. If you want to say it, my best friend is Komachi. I call her simply that – Komachi-chan. No shortened versions. She really is into sports. Uh…let's see…she likes…I don't really know," Motoko said.

"What?! She's your best friend and you don't know?!" Keitaro asked.

"Well, the main thing is that she's very serious like me and thinks boys are the fools that they are, which is one main reason we get along," Motoko said.

"How come you never say any of this to us?" Keitaro asked.

"What business is it who my friends are?!!" Motoko said.

"Well, we want to be friendly, in case they ever want a sleepover, or something girlish like that."

"I train everyday, I don't have time for sleepovers!" Motoko said. "Such foolery will get me nowhere!"

"Any other people?"

"Err…just one, her name is Sakura."

"Oh, like the flower," Keitaro said.

"Yes, like the flower. Anyways, she is into, uh, boys…" Motoko said. "But for some reason she sticks around Komachi and me, so I guess we're friends. I don't really have any more than that."

"Ok! I can do that!"

"Remember, no fighting!" Motoko said.

"Sure, I don't like it anyways," Keitaro answered.

"Err…I'll go study for you, then, with Naru-sempai…" Motoko said.

"I'll come with you, I still have to study," Keitaro answered, and they both walked up to Naru's room in silence.

A/N: So how is it? So it's a classic story, but it'll be very funny…believe me! Sorry if the updates from this story is slow, it's because I'm writing another story at the same time. You should read it, it's called Ever Wonder If! Please R&R!


	2. Bathing Ronins

Harmony of One

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina, any of its characters, or any thing Love Hina-ish. Ken Akamatsu does. So thank him for creating this awesome manga series.

A/N: Let's see this is chapter two where we really get into it…so read on and have fun! Enjoy like you would any other thing, and remember if you eat while reading this, your enjoyment will go up phenomenally, so eat while reading this too. "Everything's better when you're eating something." Please R&R!

"…" Denotes speech

_Italics_ Denotes thought

**Bold** Denotes sound effects

::blah:: Denotes time/time change

------------- Denotes scene/scene change

######### Denotes daydreams and sleeping dreams

Chapter 2: Bathing Ronins

--------------Naru's Room--------------

::2:00 PM, February 15th, the same day::

**SLIDE!** Naru's door opened.

"Hmm? Oh, hello Keitaro," Naru said.

"Naru-sempai, it's me Motoko!" Motoko said.

"Oh, yeah, sorry," Naru said. "This is kind of hard to get used to."

"You're telling me," Keitaro said, entering.

"Oh, hi Moto – I mean, Keitaro," Naru said, correcting herself.

"Yeah, so what part are you studying?" Keitaro asked.

"I wish to learn, too. If it must be like this, then I must do this," Motoko said.

"Okay, well, Motoko, you start by taking this evaluation test, so we can see what you need help with. I'll be helping this idiot pass," Naru said.

"Okay, Naru-sempai," Motoko said, and she started scribbling.

"What are you on?" Keitaro asked.

"Math," Naru said.

"Ah, my worst subject," Keitaro sighed.

"Yes, idiot," Naru said. Keitaro sighed again. "Well, you can't do anything, because Motoko's taking the test…"

"I'll look over your shoulder," Keitaro said, and he moved behind Naru. Naru started on the next problem.

"Uh, why did you do that?" Keitaro asked.

"Huh?" Naru asked.

"Why did you integrate from two to four?" Keitaro said.

"Cause that's what it says, idiot! Read the problem better!" Naru said.

"Oh." Naru continued to write down stuff.

"Eighty," Keitaro said.

"What?" Naru said.

"The answer's eighty."

"No, it's sixty-five," Naru told him.

"What? I swear it's eighty."

"I'll check it," Naru said, and she got the book out and flipped to the end.

"The answer is…" Keitaro asked.

"Thirty-two point 5," Naru answered. Keitaro sweat-dropped.

"Oh, I see, I forgot that it's only half of the box," Naru said. "These careless mistakes will be nasty on the real exam."

"But why was my answer wrong?" Keitaro asked.

"Don't know, don't care," Naru said. "Next."

"Hey! I want to do this problem right!" Keitaro said.

"If you're looking at mine, then you have to follow me," Naru said. "It makes sense to do it like that."

"No it doesn't!" Keitaro said.

"Well, too bad," Naru said. "Next," she said, flipping the page.

"Fine, be like that!" Keitaro said, and he threw up his hands in frustration.

"I will!" Naru said. She started on the next problem. **Scribble! Scribble! Scribble!**

"That's wrong," Keitaro said.

"Wrong? How can I be wrong? Jeez, you're getting bolder at telling me I'm wrong where you're the one that's wrong," Naru said.

"But you forgot to factor the x out," Keitaro said.

"Idiot, if you factor the x out then the integration is harder!" Naru said, smacking him.

"Ow!" Keitaro cried out in pain.

::Two hours later::

"Finally done with the math section," Naru said. "Let's see…I got five out of twenty five wrong. That's really bad," Naru commented, frowning.

"How about me?" Keitaro asked.

"Idiot, you got every single calculus and trig problem wrong!" Naru said. "How are you going to pass like that?"

"Naru-sempai, I have finished the test," Motoko suddenly said.

"Good, Keitaro go grade it," Naru commanded.

"Fine," Keitaro said. "Woah! You got 400 points?!!"

"See? I told you I would do better than you," Motoko said.

"But you lost all your points in Math…?" Keitaro asked.

"I don't know advanced Math like Calculus!!" Motoko complained. "If you teach me…"

"Don't have him teach you, he's an idiot, he doesn't know Calculus either."

"Waaah! Don't say that!" Keitaro whined. "Eh…"

"What?" Naru asked.

"I have to go to the bathroom…" Keitaro said.

"So? Go!" Naru said. "Idiot."

"But…err…" Keitaro said, flustered and he motioned to the fact that he was not himself. Realization dawned upon Naru.

"Ah," she said. "I forgot. You sound so much like Keitaro that I forgot you had Motoko's body."

"What about me?!!" Motoko said. "I've been sitting here!"

"Well, Keitaro always sits there, so I forgot…" Naru said, laughing lightly.

"But I need to go…" Keitaro said.

"Err…Motoko, you take care of it. It's not my body," Naru said, motioning towards Keitaro.

"You can't!" Motoko said. "I won't allow it!"

"What?! That's unfair, impossible, otherwise I'll go in your hakama!"

"Arrgh! Don't be a disgusting fool!" Motoko said. "Don't ruin my hakama like that!!"

"I don't care anymore, I'm going to the bathroom!" Keitaro shouted, and he ran to the lavatory.

"Arrgh! Come back here!" Motoko said, chasing Keitaro. **SLAM!** Keitaro slammed the door shut and locked it. **BAM BAM BAM!**

"What do you want?" Keitaro said. "Jeez, you're the one who's always saying not to come into the bathroom when someone is in it!"

"But it's my body, don't you DARE peep!" Motoko said.

"Look, I can't help it," Keitaro said. **BAM BAM BAM!**

"If you've done anything bad, I'll kill you!" Motoko said with as much force as she could. **BAM BAM – SLIDE!** Motoko was pounding on the door again when Keitaro suddenly opened it.

"I'm done!" he said.

"What did you do? I'll kill you!" Motoko growled.

"Nothing!!" Keitaro said. "Though I didn't that you liked to wear panties with…" **BAAAAM!!!** "AIEEEEEE!!!" Keitaro shouted.

"YOU PERVERT!!! YOU PEEPED AT MY UNDERWEAR?!! DIE!!!!" Motoko shouted, swinging her sword at full force. **BAAAAAM!!!!**

"AIEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

----------------------------Hinata-sou Kitchen-----------------------

::6:00 PM::

"Yum yum, Shinobu, this is yummy!" Su said, taking huge mouthfuls of food.

"Thank you, Su," Shinobu said, smiling.

"Yeah, this is really good," Naru said. "I don't know how you make it look and taste so good."

"That's because all of Naru's dishes look so nasty," Kitsune said.

"You don't HAVE to eat when I cook," Naru said.

"Hey, I'm not complaining," Kitsune said. "A lot better then if I cooked."

"Yeah, I'll never forget that experience," Keitaro said.

"Hey, that was rude!" Kitsune said.

"Motoko!" Su cried, jumping onto Keitaro.

"I'm Keitaro!" Keitaro said.

"Oh," Su said. "Well, that's good too." And she continued to hang onto Keitaro. "Are you going to finish that?"

"Of course!"

"But Motoko never eats all of her food. You'll become fat it you eat it," Su said. Motoko who was across the table was shocked.

"That's right, you're not allowed to eat as much as you did!" Motoko said. "You're not allowed to destroy my body with your bad eating habits!"

"But my body's fine…"

"Idiot, you have a lower metabolism now!" Naru said, smacking him on the head.

"Sorry!" Keitaro said. He turned to look at his plate, but it was already eaten by Su. "Oh well."

"Yummy!" Su said. She still hung on to Keitaro.

"Um, Su? Care to get off?" Keitaro asked.

"Nope, I always hang on Motoko!" Su said, pulling Keitaro's hair.

"Arrgh, that hurts!" Keitaro said. "How can you handle this hair? I'm going to cut it."

"What?!! Don't you DARE do that!!!" Motoko shouted. "I'll be disgraced forever!"

"Disgraced for having short hair?" Keitaro asked.

"Just don't do anything!" Motoko threatened. They all finished eating.

"Bath time!" Su said, and sprinted to the bath. Shock hit Motoko and Keitaro. _Bath time…oh no…_ they both thought.

"Say," Kitsune said, observing the reactions of Motoko and Keitaro. "Have you given any thought to what Haruka-san said?"

"Ah…" Motoko said.

"Hmm…as I said before, it could work," Keitaro said.

"NO IT WON'T!" Motoko said, choking Keitaro. Everyone except Su sweat-dropped. "You think I'm going to wash YOU?! Don't be so SICK!" Motoko continued to yell.

"But…but…" Keitaro managed to choke out, "it would be just washing yourself…"

"Ha! You just want me to wash you, you pervert!!!!!!" Motoko said, throwing him on the ground. "I'll NEVER wash you," she says defiant, standing tall over Keitaro.

------------------Hinata-sou Open Air Bath---------------

"I cannot BELIEVE I'm doing this," Motoko said.

"Well, it's the only way," a blindfolded Keitaro said. "Look, I can't see anything, not even my own body."

"You mean MY body," Motoko corrected. "Jeez, it feels weird to only be wearing shorts. I feel exposed on my chest."

"You mean my chest…" Keitaro said under his breath.

"What was that?" Motoko said. "A snide comment? A rude insult? I shall slay you if you do not tell me what you said!"

"What? I just said it's my chest!" Keitaro said.

"Huh!" Motoko said, flippantly. "Okay, don't say anything, because this is already embarrassing as it is. I'm going to undress you now." Motoko began to take of Keitaro's clothes. _Uh, this feels really really weird, _Keitaro said. He was blushing; he couldn't help it.

"Why are you red? Are you peeping?!!!" Motoko said.

"No! It just feels weird!" Keitaro said hurriedly.

"Hmmph!" Motoko said. She finished. "I'll lead you to the bath." They walked into the bath.

"Hee hee hee!" Kitsune giggled, holding a camera. "Oh, I'm so evil!" She steadied the camera and kept it trained at them through the doorway.

"There, watch out and lower yourself slowly into the water," Motoko said. Keitaro did.

"Ah…it feels so good, the water I mean," Keitaro said.

"Hmmph," was all Motoko replied. She took out a sponge and started to wash his back.

"Hee hee hee!" Kitsune giggled again. This was too good. She was going to be rich rich rich!

"What ya up to, Kitsune?" Su asked from behind.

"Waaah!" Kitsune said, almost dropping the camera. She caught it in her hand. "Phew!"

"What are you doing?" Su asked.

"Shhhhh!! I'm taping this!" Kitsune said.

"?" Su asked. "Kitsune?"

"Shhh!"

"You're so boring," Su said, and she left.

"Urashima, stop squirming!" Motoko said. "It makes it harder!"

"But it tickles…" Keitaro said.

"Wha–?That doesn't make it any easier for me to do this!" Motoko said.

"But," Keitaro said, starting to giggle. "It's so ticklish…" He snorted.

"Urashima, stay still!"

"Sorry, sorry," Keitaro said. Motoko started to wash him again. He jerked his body.

"Alright, that's it!" Motoko said, and she tied him up and started scrubbing him.

"You know, this is very uncomfortable," he said.

"That's what you get for moving too much. Now stay still," Motoko said, and she scrubbed him clean.

"Hee hee, he's getting a good cleaning!" Kitsune said.

"You're done, now get down." Motoko said.

"Um…I'm tied up?" Keitaro asked.

"Oh." Motoko untied him and dressed him.

"Aw, rats, the fun's over," Kitsune said. Motoko finished tying the hakama.

"There."

"Alright, it's your turn," Keitaro said.

"What?! I will never let you touch me!" Motoko said.

"But then how?"

"It's easier on men, I can wash ninety percent without seeing anything," Motoko explained.

"What about the last ten percent?" Keitaro asked.

"No need to clean that thoroughly, sitting in the hot springs for a while should clear that up. Now shoo!" Motoko said, waving Keitaro away.

"Rats, no more fun," Kitsune said. "Oh well, might as well leave." **SLIDE!**

"Eh?" Kitsune said, looking up and seeing it was Keitaro. "Ah!" she said, and hid the camera behind her back.

"What's up? You probably don't want to go in there now, Motoko's mad. Heh heh, I guess that's my fault," Keitaro said, laughing nervously.

"Ah…I see," Kitsune said, backing towards the door.

"Hey Kitsune! Have you gotten anything good with that camera yet?!" Su asked, crashing in.

"AH!" Kitsune said, and she held the mouth of Su. "Heh heh, she doesn't know what she's talking about, goodbye!" And Kitsune zoomed away with Su.

"?" Keitaro asked.

----------------------Keitaro's Room----------------

::February 16th, Monday, 4:55 AM::

It was black. Well, that's a lie actually. It was mostly black. The only non black part of the room was the flashlight that Motoko was shining into Keitaro's eye.

"Ahh…it's the light at the end of the tunnel!" Keitaro groaned.

"Wake up, Urashima!" Motoko whispered hoarsely.

"Wha-? Mommy, I don't want to take out the trash…" Keitaro rolled over.

"Wake up!" Motoko whispered again, and this time she kicked him.

"Ow!!" Keitaro said. "What hit me?"

"Me! Now let's go!" Motoko said, and she dragged him.

"Wha-? Where are we going?" Keitaro asked, still confused. "It's not even light out."

"Training. You are not allowed to destroy my body, remember?"

"Oh yeah…" Keitaro said. "I need something, though, like coffee."

"I'll be your coffee!" Motoko said. She took out her sword.

"Eh?" Keitaro asked.

"Rock Splitting Technique!" She said, slashing. **WOOOSH BAM!**

"Aieee!" Keitaro shouted, landing on the roof. Motoko jumped to the roof. The sun had started to rise.

"Now, basic stroke, 1000 times," she said, handing him a sword and showing him how to do it.

"1000 times?" he asked wearily.

"Yes, I shall do it with you. Now begin!" Motoko said. "1!" she said, moving her sword.

"1," Keitaro said half-heartedly.

"That's not how you do it at all!" Motoko said. "Stand with your feet like this and grip the sword tighter! Good, now lift up and swing! 1!"

"1," Keitaro said.

"Harder, otherwise we'll be at one forever. One!"

"One!" Keitaro shouted.

"Two!"

"Two!"

"Three!"

"Three," Keitaro said tiredly.

"Augh!" Motoko said. "C'mon, get serious."

"Sorry, I'm just so tired…" Keitaro said. "Three!"

"Four!"

"Four!"

"Five!"

"Five!"

"Six!"

"Six!"

::One hour later::

"Nine hundred and ninety-eight!"

"Nine hundred and ninety-eight," Keitaro repeated.

"Nine hundred and ninety-nine!" Motoko chanted.

"Nine hundred and ninety-nine."

"One thousand!"

"One thousand. F-finally done," Keitaro said, and he fainted.

"Urashima?!" Motoko said. She sighed. "He's such a wimp," she muttered to herself while she picked him up and brought him to the kitchen.

----------------Hinata-sou Kitchen-----------------

"Good morning Sempai!" Shinobu said, glancing over her shoulder while she was cooking.

"Err…it's Motoko," Motoko said.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Motoko-chan!" Shinobu said.

"That's okay, anybody else would make the same mistake," Motoko said.

"Ahh! Is sempai hurt?" Shinobu asked, upon turning around and seeing Motoko carrying Keitaro.

"No, he is just exhausted from our exercises this morning. I will leave him here while I finish my other exercises," Motoko said, and after placing Keitaro in a chair, she left.

"Um…" Shinobu said. She put a finger in her mouth. "Oh! The food!" she said, and quickly returned to cooking.

::An hour later::

Keitaro groaned, and his eye twitched.

"Oh man, I can't move a muscle," Keitaro said.

"Sempai!" Shinobu said. "Look, I made some extra food for you!" She placed it in front of Keitaro.

"What time is it?" Keitaro asked.

"Ah, seven, I think," Shinobu said.

"Seven?" Keitaro asked. "Do you know when Motoko's school starts?"

"Oh, Motoko-chan, Su and I all leave at the same time to go to school…though I don't actually know where it is," Shinobu said. "We leave after breakfast…err…about eight o'clock."

"Oh," Keitaro said. The food's smell wafted up to him. "Err…can I eat this?"

"Sure!" Shinobu said. Motoko came in.

"Oh good, your awake. Keitaro, you must do better next time," Motoko said.

"This is the first time! I can't even believe I completed one of your exercises!" Keitaro said.

"Yeah, yeah. It shouldn't be a problem, because your body can handle it, but it must be your mind is weak," Motoko said. Soon Kitsune, Naru, and Su filed in.

"Oh, so the idiot's awake early," Naru said.

"Hey, that's not nice!" Keitaro said. "It was painful."

"Whatever," Naru said.

"Why does no one care?" Keitaro cried to himself.

"ITADAKIMASU!" Su said, and she began eating.

"Su! Don't start before everyone else!" Motoko said.

"Hmm?" Su said. Everyone sighed.

A/N: Hmm…this was a sort of in between bad/boring chapter. I thought it might be better, but I guess it didn't turn out that way. Okay, and I never know anything even remotely Japanese in culture, like when school starts, so I probably wrote that wrong, but all's good. I just want to answer some reviews that I got, in terms of wrongness. Number one, just in case you've ever read my profile (can't imagine why you would), you would know this, but one reviewer referred to me as a "Miss luce1sw." While slightly amusing, it is also grossly incorrect – I'm a guy. If that shocks you…well I don't know what to say…err…yeah. Second, one person was slightly annoyed at me putting Author's notes in the middle of my story, to which I respond that even Manga has semi-author's notes in them! But in terms of that, I'll still try to reduce them (notice none in this chapter!), because hey, I aim to please. I thank everyone who has reviewed and say to them, do it some more! Please R&R!


	3. High School Girls! Motoko's School

Harmony of One

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina, any of its characters, or any thing Love Hina-ish. Ken Akamatsu does. So thank him for creating this awesome manga series.

A/N: Wow, it's been a while since I've looked at this story, almost two to three weeks. I even forgot what was happening (had to re-read it, yes it's sad) in this story. But never fear, chapter three is here!!! One more side note is that this is more Manga based (it is way better than the Anime of Love Hina), as Motoko's group does not exist in this story. Please R&R!

"…" Denotes speech

_Italics_ Denotes thought

**Bold** Denotes sound effects

::blah:: Denotes time/time change

------------- Denotes scene/scene change

######### Denotes daydreams and sleeping dreams

Chapter 3: High School Girls!! Motoko's School.

------------Hinata-sou Living Room------------

::Monday, February 16th, after breakfast::

"Ahhhh!" Keitaro yelled. His voice shrieked into previously unknown pitches and octaves. "It's already time to go to school!!!" He was packing Motoko's school bag while Motoko was doing the same with Keitaro's satchel.

"Why do you use such an unwieldy carrying device?" Motoko asked.

"Ahhh!" Keitaro responded. Motoko sighed. Ever since realizing he had to go to school as Motoko, Keitaro had at best, given one-word and illogical answers.

"Shut up and calm down!!" Naru screamed. She hit him. **BAM!**

"Owwww," Keitaro groaned. "Okay, I'm calm. I'm calm, breathe." He took several deep breaths very slowly. Motoko finished packing and slung the satchel over her shoulder.

"Who are your friends again?" Keitaro suddenly asked Motoko.

"Komachi, the serious one, and Sakura, the googly-eyed one," Motoko answered, again.

"Thank you thank you," Keitaro responded. Shinobu came out with Su in a school uniform.

"Woah, Shinobu-chan, you look a lot prettier in a school uniform!" Keitaro commented.

"Wha-?" Shinobu responded. "I-I look prettier?"

"Yeah, I've never seen you in it before," Keitaro told her.

"But you…never mind," Shinobu said, about to say "but you see me in it everyday" when she realized it was Keitaro. She blushed furiously and turned away.

"Let's go!♥" Su shouted, jumping onto Keitaro. They all walked out.

"Are you ready, Motoko-chan?" Naru asked.

"Yes, let us leave." Motoko and Naru also left. Haruka watched them all from the tea house. The smoke from her cigarette wafted up slowly.

"Interesting," she said.

-----------------------Motoko's High School-------------------

"Woah, this is a big school!" Keitaro said.

"That's because it's the school for the entire Kanagawa district from middle school to high school. The high school is over there," Su said, pointing to the right side of the building.

"But it has 10 floors!" Keitaro exclaimed, counting. "Yeah, just about ten!"

"Well…there are many classes," Shinobu said. "Err…I don't know which class your in."

"I know! I visit Motoko's school sometimes, and it's class 4-E!" Su shouted. (A/N: Okay, I once again my ignorance of all things Japanese, considering that the only Japanese culture I receive is from Manga, Anime, and one Japanese friend, who is so Japanese. So just pretend that the class is 4-E which is not a dumb nor a smart class, but only an average class.)

"4-E?" Keitaro asked. "Okay, thank you. Err…have fun?"

"Bye Sempai!" Shinobu waved, dragging Su along who was muttering "I want to go with Keitaro!" Keitaro waved and watched them walk away. _Okay, I have to do this. I can't embarrass Motoko-chan or myself. Okay, what did her friends look like? I only remember what the like…? Oh darn it all._ Keitaro clenched his fist and walked into the school

"Woah, it looks even bigger on the inside!" Keitaro said. There were a lot of students milling about. Keitaro stood above them, as Motoko was taller than even his true body. _How shall I find classroom 4-E?_

"Motoko-chan! Over here!" someone called out.

"Eh?" Keitaro said, turning his head towards the voice. He looked around, but could not locate the voice. The hallway he was standing in was crowded.

"Motoko-chan!" Keitaro turned and looked for the voice again when suddenly he was tackled from behind.

"MO-CHAN!!!♥" someone squealed. **BAM!** Something tackled him from behind.

"Eh?" he said.

"Mo-chan, you're here!♥" someone hanging onto him said. He blushed – he had never had such close contact with a girl before.

"Ah…" Keitaro stuttered.

"Heh, let's go to class before our Sensei gets angry!" The person behind him let go and in came a short (at least compared to Keitaro…or Motoko) girl with brown hair that was down to her shoulders. There was a ribbon tied in it, a pink one, and she was wearing the typical school uniform, a blue blouse with a scarf tied in front and a short skirt that was also blue.

"Where's Komi-chan?" she asked. From this, Keitaro guessed that she must be Sakura.

"Uh…I don't know, Sakura-chan," Keitaro replied.

"Hmm…" Sakura mused. Keitaro slowed down because he was walking in front of Sakura and he didn't know where he was going. He hoped Sakura would walk in front of him and lead the way.

"Why are you lagging behind? Let's go!" Sakura said, upon noticing this pattern, and she pushed Keitaro forward.

"Err…" was all Keitaro could reply. He looked at the numbers. 4-A, 4-B, 4-C, 4-D, then finally, 4-E were seen.

"Ah, here we are," Sakura said, and she opened the door. The students were all in groups talking, each in there little clicks. Keitaro could see that each were composed of their own type, like sporty people (jocks), smarter people (nerds), and the socially inept people, (geeks) who were probably in most respects like himself in high school. The geeks didn't even talk to each other; they just sat at their desks quietly. Keitaro felt a special connection with them and an urge to just at least say hi to them when he heard a warning ring in his head. _Don't talk to any boys – I hate those spineless jellyfishes!_ Keitaro heard Motoko in his head. _I guess I shouldn't disrupt anything_. Sakura walked over to where a girl with short black hair sat. Sitting down she seemed meek, but Keitaro was weary – she had defined muscles that scared him.

"Hello, Motoko-chan," she greeted.

"H-hello," Keitaro responded. _Is she Komachi-chan?_ He asked himself.

"Hi Komi-chan!!" Sakura said. _Yes, she is,_ Keitaro said. "?" Sakura asked. "What are you thinking about, Mo-chan?"

"Eh?! Oh…err…nothing…" Keitaro answered.

"Motoko-chan, did you finish the homework?" Komachi asked.

"Homework? Err…um, I forgot, what was it?"

"You don't know? Usually you're the one who is telling us to do it, and then some," Sakura said. "You're awfully quiet today."

"Quiet? Haha…" Keitaro laughed nervously.

"Motoko-chan! Show more resolve! Otherwise they might come and get us!" Komachi said.

"Oooo, that'd be exciting!" Sakura cried.

"They? Who's they?" Keitaro asked. He was beginning to realize that Motoko hadn't told him anything much at all.

"Who's they? Them!" Komachi said, pointing to a group of boys who had big muscles on their arms so that if they flexed them they were in danger of ripping their shirt off.

"But why would they come and get us?" Keitaro asked confused still.

"Because they want to date you!" Komachi said.

"That would be cool!" Sakura said.

"Be quiet Sakura!" Komachi said.

"But why…?" Keitaro asked.

"Because they know you're the strongest person in the class and can kick anyone's butt,' Komachi explained. _Ah…that's not quite true anymore…better act like it though._ "How do you not remember this? Are you okay?" Komachi leaned closer and put her hand on Keitaro's forehead. Keitaro started to blush. He grabbed Komachi's wrist and pulled her hand away.

"I'm fine…" he said.

"Hmm…" Komachi mused, obviously still suspicious. She whispered something to Sakura. Sakura's face suddenly brightened and she suppressed a giggle.

"Err…what's going on?" asked a confused Keitaro. **SLIDE!** Suddenly the door slid open and an older looking man walked in. All the students went to their desks and stood up.

"Good morning, Sensei Ueda," the class droned.

"Good morning," Ueda said. "Please hand in your homework and place it in this box." The students unzipped their backpacks and took out their homework.

"Psst!" Sakura whispered. "What did you get for question 4?"

"Eh? Ah…on what?" Keitaro asked. He took out multiple sheets of paper that Motoko had told him was the homework she had done for today. Of course, Motoko doesn't procrastinate and finishes it on Friday night.

"On the math, which is right now," Sakura continued whispering. Keitaro took out the sheet that corresponded to math. It was a multiple choice worksheet.

"Four?" Keitaro asked again.

"Yeah," Sakura answered. Keitaro looked.

"Uh…a," Keitaro said.

"Thanks!" Sakura said, and she circled it.

"Hey! You can't do that!" Keitaro cried.

"Huh? Why not!" Sakura whined. Komachi returned from handing in her homework.

"Hey! Are you trying to cheat off of Motoko-chan again?" Komachi asked.

"Uh…no?" Sakura asked.

"Sakura! What did we say about this?" Komachi asked her.

"Not to cheat because it is bad discipline and if I get caught I'll get into trouble," Sakura dully stated.

"That's right," Komachi said.

"Fine, fine," Sakura said, and Keitaro went with her to hand in the homework.

"Trouble, ladies?" Ueda asked.

"Eh? What trouble?" Sakura asked.

"I don't know, but you two were taking an awfully long time to hand it in…not doing anything illegal now are you?" Ueda suggested.

"Of course not Sensei!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Well…you'd better be right, I have eyes on the back of my head!" Ueda told them, smiling broadly.

"Okay, Sensei," Keitaro said, smiling back.

"Eh? Are you okay?" Ueda asked. "Why are you all smiles?"

"Err…" Keitaro stuttered, immediately wiping off his smile. "Never mind," he said, turning around quickly and walking back to his seat.

"?" Keitaro sat down ignoring the questions that Sensei Ueda had.

"Okay, today we're learning about logarithms," Sensei Ueda told them. _Logarithms. I can do this,_ Keitaro thought.

"This is the basic form," Ueda continued, scribbling stuff down on the black board. "If x to the a equals y, then log base x of y equals a. If you write log without any base number, then it automatically means base ten. If you write ln it means log to the base of e, which is something we'll learn later." Ueda continued to write stuff down. Keitaro took notes studiously, furiously scribbling. He looked up. Ueda had stopped writing stuff down.

"So, anyone, what is the log of ten?" Ueda asked. A kid was asleep upon his desk.

"Masanori!" Ueda shouted, pointing to the kid that was asleep.

"Eh? What?" Masanori asked.

"What is the answer?" Ueda asked.

"Oh…err…one?" Masanori said, unsure.

"Yes, good job," Ueda commented. Masanori put his head on his hands and stared completely bored at the blackboard. Keitaro looked at him – he was asleep by the time Ueda had started to write the laws of logarithms.

"If you have the log of two numbers multiplied by each other, then you can add the logs of those numbers instead," Ueda continued.

::Later, second period, 9:15AM, Science::

"And that is how to do that!" Sensei Ueda said. **BRIIINNGGG!** The bell rang and Sensei Ueda's face fell. "Too bad, I had a couple more examples to show you guys." All of the students' faces lit up.

"Oh well, I'll show you guys tomorrow!" Ueda said. (A/N: I'm showing how un-Japanese I am right here and I'm going to assume that they have different teachers for each subject and they stay in the same classroom.) He left and another man came in.

"Hello Sensei Yayashi!♥" one of the girls said, waving.

"Hello," Yayashi said gruffly.

"Hello, Sensei Yayashi!♥" Sakura said. She poked Keitaro. "Motoko, isn't he so dreamy?" Keitaro reacted instinctively.

"Ugh, no way. How can you ask me that?" he said.

"Sakura, haven't we told you not to ask us these things?" Komachi said. "Men are spineless jellyfishes!"

"Hmmph!" Sakura retorted. "You guys are no fun at all." Sakura frowned.

"Please take out your textbooks," Yayashi said.

::Third Period, history::

"I don't remember any of this at all!" Keitaro complained.

::Fourth Period, English::

"I can do this!" Keitaro said.

::Fifth Period::

"Finally, almost done!" Keitaro exclaimed as the English Sensei left. Keitaro leaned back in his chair and stretched.

"Motoko-chan? It's time," Komachi said.

"Time? Time for what?" Keitaro asked confused. He realized that the other students were all getting up too.

"For gym!♥" Sakura cried, jumping up.

"EEEEEHHHHHHH?????" Keitaro shrieked. "G-gym?"

"What's the problem? We have gym everyday this period," Komachi said, with an expression that showed she thought Keitaro was crazy. "Seriously Motoko-chan, did you hit your head or something, because you're forgetting a lot of things this morning."

"Ah…ah…no, I'm okay!" Keitaro said. Motoko had not told him anything about this. _I hope that Motoko doesn't kill me later…_ Keitaro thought wearily.

"Let's go," Komachi said, pulling Keitaro up. "Jeez, you're so slow today."

"Mo-chan! Hurry, or we'll be late and Sensei Sugimoto will get angry!" Sakura said, tugging on Keitaro who was frantically looking through Motoko's backpack to see if there was anything important in there. _Nothing…_ he thought. _Okay, that's good._ He followed Sakura and Komachi. They led him to the girls' locker room. _Oh wait, this is bad. Very bad…_ Keitaro thought.

"Err…on second thought, I don't feel well today. I can't do gym, good bye!" Keitaro said, and he started walking away.

"What? You and I need to protect Sakura-chan and each other from the lecherous boys! Let's go!" Komachi said.

"Err…ah…urm…" Keitaro stuttered. "Help?" he asked, but Komachi ignored him and no one else heard him. They reached the locker room. Keitaro looked at the sign in fear and dismay.

"Let's go!" Sakura said. **SLIDE!** Keitaro immediately held on to his nose. **SPURRRTTT!**

"Eh? What's wrong?" Komachi asked. "Did you get hit in the face?"

"N-no, ah, I'll be right back!" Keitaro said, but Komachi held on to him.

"I don't think so missy! We'll get in trouble in we don't change now! Let's go!" Komachi said.

"Woo hoo!" Sakura said, jumping up and down. **SPURRRRTTTT! **Keitaro's nose was a waterfall. A waterfall made of blood.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Sakura asked. Keitaro just closed his eyes and crossed his fingers. Komachi poked him.

"Hey! Get your uniform and change!" Komachi said. She opened a locker. Keitaro stared intently at the wall of lockers in front of him. He focused and tried not to look anywhere else.

"Um, which one is mine?" Keitaro laughed nervously, looking at Komachi who had pulled her shirt and skirt off and was in the midst of putting on her gym uniform. "AHHH!" he shouted, more blood coming. **SPURRTTT!**

"?" Komachi asked. "Are you okay?" Komachi learned over Keitaro, her chest reaching into his face. The bleeding just got worse.

"A-ah, y-yes!" Keitaro stuttered, looking away. He smelled soap. _Is it from her…? _Keitaro thought nervously. **CLANG!** Keitaro heard a locker slam shut.

"Here," Komachi said, stuffing a gym uniform in front of his face. "Put it on before we're late."

"Mo-chan!" Sakura said, bouncing into view. Keitaro looked at Komachi – she was dressed now, though the gym uniform was a bit on the skimpy side. All of the other girls were dressed and Keitaro's nose stopped bleeding. Sakura and Komachi stared at Keitaro.

"Are you going to get dressed or what, Motoko-chan?" Komachi asked.

"Uh…you guys go ahead, I'll catch up with you later," Keitaro said.

"…okay…" Komachi said, and she walked towards the exit with Sakura tugging her sleeve and asking what's wrong with Mo-chan. They exited.

"Now how do I put this on?" Keitaro asked himself. Having not looked at anyone, he didn't know how it worked very well, but after several tries got it on. He went out the way that Komachi and Sakura went.

"Taking our time, are we Aoyama-san?" a woman that Keitaro assumed to be Sensei Sugimoto said.

"Sorry, I had a little trouble with the uniform," Keitaro said.

"Well, I expect that next time we'll be punctual?" she asked.

"Yes yes," Keitaro answered hastily. She nodded, and Keitaro went and stood by Komachi and Sakura.

"Today class, we will be playing dodge ball," Sensei Sugimoto announced.

"All right! I love this game!" a kid that Keitaro recognized to be Masanori shouted. "I will win!"

"All right, calm down. The rules are as follows. No hits to the head. Anyone doing so will be out immediately. Catching it obviously means that the person throwing it will be out. When you're hit, you go to the opposite side of the gym and stand behind the line," Sensei Sugimoto said, pointing to the end line that marked the out of bounds for basketball. "If you catch a ball thrown by your teammate on the other side and hit someone, then you are back in. Any questions?"

"Yeah, so if you don't catch it from your teammate but still hit someone, it doesn't count?" a boy asked.

"That's right, okay, the teams will be formed by counting off. Line up!" Sensei Sugimoto ordered. They did and they began counting off. There were eighteen people in class 4-E, meaning nine on each side.

"One."

"Two."

"One." The class began counting and Keitaro could see that he would end up on Sakura's team. _At least someone I know is on my team. Well, I guess I don't really know them…_ Keitaro thought.

"Two," Keitaro said when it got to his place.

"One," another boy said. _I should look at a yearbook so I know who everyone is,_ Keitaro thought.

"Two," Sakura said. Komachi was next but somehow she managed to slip in between someone and ended up on his team also.

"Two," she said. Nine on each team, with 5 girls and four boys on the other team, while there were 6 boys and three girls (namely Keitaro, Sakura, and Komachi) on his team.

"Psst!" he whispered to Komachi.

"Yes?"

"Who's good on our team?" Keitaro asked.

"Jeez, you hate this game and want to know who's good?" Komachi sighed. "You're acting really weird today, Motoko-chan."

"Uh," Keitaro stuttered, alarmed. "I just wanted to know if I had to do anything or not."

"Well, Masanori's pretty athletic so, he'll be alright. Plus he seems to get into these things," Komachi said. _Oh, that kid,_ Keitaro thought. He had seen him sleep through every class, though he still seemed to know what was going on.

"Natsuo over there," Komachi said, pointing to a slightly overweight guy. "Is slow and fat and can't do anything so he'll be the first out. Err…Ryu is lazy and won't get hit, but really won't do anything either." She paused. "I guess the other three are about average, Katsumi, Ikku, and Nakamaro." Three average looking guys were standing around and chatting.

"But their team might beat us down if we don't do anything. They've got Madoka and Maiko, two of the best gymnasts in our grade. Kazumi, Hiroko and Hoshiyo aren't bad either. Let's see…the guys are all good, they're the four who want to get you," Komachi said, and Keitaro could see they were all huddled together and whispering. Occasionally, one would point in his direction.

"I hate those idiots. Thank goodness you can crush them, otherwise we'd hear no end from them," Komachi said.

"I think it would be very nice if you two started to notice cute boys," Sakura said.

"Waaaah?!" Komachi said. "Never! All males are perverted lecherous fiends and deserve to be punished." Keitaro remained silent.

"Why? Without boys, there wouldn't be any girls," Sakura pointed out.

"People who want to do 'that' can, but I for one will not. Don't you agree, Motoko-chan?" Komachi asked.

"Uh…yes, I do agree," Keitaro said, after a pause. That pause made Komachi worried, however.

"Why do you hesitate? I am sure that you are in accord," Komachi said. "Really, later we will take you to the nurse."

"NO! I'm okay, really!" Keitaro said. The last thing he wanted to do was go to the nurse.

"Okay, students, line up at the edge," Sensei Sugimoto said. They all did.

"Let's do this!" Katsumi, Ikku, or Nakamaro said. Keitaro didn't know which one.

"Remember the plan," another said.

"Can't trust the girls to do anything," the third one commented.

"Why you!" Komachi began, but Sensei Sugimoto had blown her whistle.

"GO!" she shouted, and both teams rushed towards the middle line. The majority of the other team reached there first. **BAM! BAM!! BAM!! **Natsuo and two of the trio, as Keitaro called Ikku, Katsumi, and Nakamaro, were out immediately. Ryu hadn't moved from the edge at all – he was standing there. Sakura had by now bounced out to the middle and grabbed a ball. She flung it at the opposing team. **BOING!** It bounced of one of the girls.

"Over here! Sakura-chan!" the three boys behind the other team cried out. She picked up a ball and threw it over there. **BAM!** Midair, Sakura got hit.

"Oh rats," she said, and walked over. But her ball was caught.

"All right Ikku!" Katsumi or Nakamaro said. "Go!" Ikku threw it as hard as he could at one of the boys. **BAM!**

"I'm back!" Ikku said. Komachi, meanwhile, had grabbed a ball and tossed it to Keitaro.

"I know how good you are at throwing, so you can have it," Komachi said. Keitaro started to sweat nervously. He remembered his past experiences.

----------------A High School Gym-------------

::Sometime in the past::

**BAM!**

"Ha! I got you, Gennai!" a young Keitaro shouted.

"Did not! I caught it, see?" the other kid, Gennai, said.

"What? You just picked it up just now, I saw you!" the young Keitaro complained.

"Liar!" Gennai shouted.

"Okay, enough already," the Sensei said.

"But Sensei–" Keitaro began, but the Sensei waved him off.

"Just forget it and continue playing." Keitaro gritted his teeth and clenched his fist.

"Take THIS!" Gennai shouted, flinging a ball at Keitaro.

"Ahh!" Keitaro shouted, ducking. **BAAAMMM!** It hit him in the head and Keitaro went flying down the court. **BAM!** He hit the wall, dust in the air.

"Are you okay, Keitaro-kun?" a classmate asked.

::Present Time::

Keitaro was shaking, visibly shaking.

"What are you waiting for, throw it!" Komachi said. "Ah! Look out!" Keitaro saw a ball whizzing for him. **BAAAM!!**

"Got her! I finally hit Motoko-san!" one of the boys on the other side said. The ball had hit him on the head Keitaro had fallen to the ground limply. **TWEEEEETT!!**

"Hisaki-kun! What was that?! You're out for hitting Motoko-chan on the head!" Sensei Sugimoto shouted.

"What?!!!" Hisaki shouted in dismay. "Fine, fine, fine!" He stomped off to the other side.

"Are you okay?" Komachi asked.

"Yeah, I'm good," Keitaro said. He had endured worse.

"That's amazing, I know if I was hit like that I would be down like a sack of–" **BAAAMM!!** Komachi was hit.

"Arggh! I hate being out!" she shouted as she walked to the other side. **BAM! WHIZZ! WHOOSH!!** Balls were flying everywhere and Keitaro could only duck, dive, and scream for his life.

"Ahh!!" he shouted as balls flew. Soon it was down to 2 on 2, Madoka and Maiko on the other side while it was only Keitaro and Ryu on his team.

"Take this: spinning balls of beauty!" Madoka and Maiko shouted, and they jumped into the air spinning while balls flew out from them.

"Ahh!" Keitaro shouted again while he dodged balls. Ryu barely moved as he dodged ball after ball. Madoka and Maiko landed. Ryu picked up a ball and dropped kicked it. **BAM!**

"Over here, Ryu-chan!" Masanori shouted from behind the other team. "Even if you're a lazy bum, you can at least throw the ball over here!" The ball the Ryu had drop-kicked landed in Masanori's outstretched hands. "All right! DIE!" he shouted, and slammed a ball towards Madoka and Maiko.

"Eh?" they said. **BAAM!!**

"Madoka-chan, it's up to you!" Maiko shouted as she walked to the other side. Madoka gripped the ball and it flew towards Ryu. He ducked. **WHOOSH!** But Kazumi, Hiroko, or Hoshiyo caught it and pegged Ryu from behind. He looked behind him and shrugged his shoulders.

"All right Hoshiyo-chan, good job!" Madoka shouted. Keitaro frowned in dismay. It was still a 2 on 2 situation, and he couldn't do anything.

"Eat ball!" Masanori shouted, and he hit Madoka square in the stomach. **BAM!**

"Ouch!" she grunted in pain.

"Hoshiyo-chan, over here!" one of the boys on the other team called out from behind Keitaro.

"Here!" she cried, throwing a ball towards them. But Masanori threw a ball and hit it straight up and caught it.

"Rejected! In your FACE!!!" he shouted. "Oh, I'm the winner, you're the loser, I'm the winner, you're the loser," Masanori chanted.

"Masanori-kun! That's enough!" Sensei Sugimoto shouted.

"Sorry, sorry," Masanori said.

"Okay, good game everyone," Sensei Sugimoto said. "We have time for one more round…how bout we make it a boys against girls round!!!"

"Woo hoo!" all the girls shouted but Keitaro.

"We're going to crush them," Ikku, Katsumi, and Nakamaro said. Ryu sighed.

"Man, I didn't want to walk to the other side," he said, slowly walking.

"Hey! Ryu! Faster, or we cannot play!" Sensei Sugimoto said. He trotted instead of walked to the other side.

"Ready? GO!" Sensei Sugimoto shouted. The boys got all the boys first. **BAM! BAM! BAM!!** Three were out immediately.

"I hope you play a better game than last one, because that was pathetic. How are you going to deal with Kendo club later? We'd better send you to the nurse," Komachi said.

"What?! No, I'm fine," Keitaro said. "Duck!!" he shouted, and bent backwards. Komachi dived to the ground and the ball flew right over Keitaro's face. He stretched out his hands and caught it.

"Hey, I caught it!" he said.

"Good, now fling it back at them!" Komachi told him. Keitaro threw with all his might. **BAAAM!!**

"OW!" Ikku shouted. "Who hit me?"

"It doesn't matter, Ikku-kun, you're out," Sensei Sugimoto said.

"All right all right," Ikku said, walking to the other side behind Keitaro.

"Yes!" Keitaro said, pumping his fist.

"C'mon, here's another," Komachi said. A ball came whizzing towards Keitaro, but Komachi blocked it with the ball she was offering to Keitaro. **BONK!**

"Take this, I'll be back," Komachi said. _Heh, this is fun,_ Keitaro thought, and he took aim. **BAM!!!**

"Yikes!" Katsumi shouted. He looked around anxiously. "No one saw that…"

"Katsumi-kun! You're out!" Sugimoto said. "Go!" She motioned to the other end.

"Rats," Katsumi said. "Out."

"Psst! Mo-chan!" Sakura whispered.

"Eh?" Keitaro said, turning.

"Here!" Sakura said. She handed Keitaro a ball. "It's the special ball. Hit Hisaki-kun!" Keitaro looked at the ball in his hands worried. _Special ball? That worries me…_ Keitaro thought. He spied, though, the kid who had smacked him in the face. _I'm a lady, I can get back at him and not feel guilty,_ Keitaro thought, deluding himself. He threw it. **BAAAAMM!!** Hisaki was caught squarely in the chest and he went down. The ball exploded and confetti came out while a sign was hung on Hisaki's chest that read: "You're a loser. Deal with it." Keitaro's mouth dropped open.

"Ah…" he began to say with his hand reaching out. **TWEEEEET!** Sensei Sugimoto blew her whistle.

"Who threw that ball?" she demanded. Keitaro slowly inched his hand up.

"Motoko-chan come over here!" Sensei Sugimoto said.

"Ooooooooo," the class went. Keitaro felt burning humiliation and slight irritation at Sakura for giving him that ball. Sugimoto motioned to the class.

"Continue while I talk to Motoko-chan," Sugimoto said. Keitaro and Sugimoto walked outside the gym while the sounds of dodge ball continued. Sugimoto closed the door.

"Motoko-chan, I know how much you hate Hisaki and his three buffoons. And I can't say they are the most savory group either, but where did you get the idea to throw a ball like that?" Sugimoto asked.

"Well…err…Sakura-chan gave me it and I didn't know it would do that…" Keitaro said, hoping that the Sensei would forgive him.

"Well, if she does it again…hit them again!" Sugimoto said, patting Keitaro on the back.

"Uh…"

"Now get back in there, we only have a couple minutes left!" Sugimoto said. Keitaro walked back in to the gym where he saw with dismay that girl team only had Komachi and Madoka left. They did not like each other, it seemed, while the "trio" was left on the other side, Katsumi, Ikku, and Nakamaro were working beautifully together. Komachi and Madoka only barely managed to dodge the balls that were flying towards them.

"Motoko-chan! Come and help us, quickly!" Komachi called out.

"Ikku, prepare for 'that' plan!" Nakamaro shouted. "Katsumi? Ready?"

"Yes!" Katsumi replied. Keitaro sighed. _Why do I not feel like I want to do this anymore?_ He asked himself.

"Take this: trio spike of death!" Katsumi, Nakamaro, and Ikku shouted. Ikku ran forward while Katsumi heaved Nakamaro into the air. Ikku hit a ball up to Nakamaro while throwing up a ball. Katsumi did the same.

"SPIKE!" they shouted, all hitting the balls at the same time. **BAM BAM BAM!!**

"Watch out!" Sakura screamed. The balls whizzed towards Madoka, Keitaro, and Komachi. Keitaro stood in front of the other two and took the hits. **SMACKKKOOO!!**

"Motoko-chan!" Komachi shouted as Keitaro dropped to the ground. Madoka, however took advantage of the situation. She picked up a ball and flung it. **BAM BAM BAM! **It bounced and hit all three of the boys.

"Catch it!" Masanori shouted from behind Keitaro. "Then she'll be out!"

"I got it!" Ikku shouted.

"No, I have it!" Nakamaro shouted.

"It's coming right here, I got it!" Katsumi shouted. They all ran towards the ball. Keitaro closed his eyes.** BOOONKKK!** The trio hit heads and fell to the ground unconscious. Everyone sweat-dropped and sighed.

"Okay, class, that's it! Time to go to lunch!" Sugimoto told them. She walked over and tapped the three boys on the ground. "Hello? Can you hear me?" she asked.

"Motoko-chan, let's go and eat," Komachi said.

"Mo-chan! Hurry, I'm hungry!" Sakura said.

---------------Lunch Room---------------

"Itadakimasu!" Sakura said. She quickly took out her bento and started eating. Komachi sighed.

"Sakura, you always eat so fast," Komachi said.

"That's because I need to scout to find cute boys!" Sakura said, swallowing. "During the club time."

"Ugh," Komachi said. "Can't you find a good club to join? You could join our Kendo club."

"Kendo? I can't even do any Taijutsu, how do you expect me to fight with swords?" Sakura said, frowning.

"Just asking," Komachi said.

"Aren't there other clubs you can join?" Keitaro asked.

"Yeah, but I don't know which one I want to do…maybe I'll join the flower arranging club," Sakura pondered.

"What? There's such a club?!" Keitaro exclaimed.

"Um…yeah," Sakura said. "Obviously."

"Which reminds me," Komachi said. "We need to bring Motoko-chan to the nurse."

"No, I'm okay, really!" Keitaro protested.

"That's not true. You won't be able to defeat the boys if they challenge you in your current condition," Komachi said. All three had finished their lunches.

"Let's go!♥" Sakura said.

"No really, it's okay!" Keitaro said. Komachi grabbed him.

"Like I'd ever let you escape," Komachi said, and she dragged him to the nurse.

---------------------Nurse's Office------------------

"Hello. What is the nature of the problem?" the Nurse asked.

"Motoko-chan here seems to be acting weirdly, and before her nose was bleeding a lot even though she has no physical damage to that area," Komachi explained.

"I'm okay, really…" Keitaro tried to interject.

"Don't listen to her, she just is deathly afraid of needles and so hates going to the nurse or any doctors," Komachi said. _Eh? Motoko-chan is afraid of needles?_ Keitaro thought. The nurse nodded and wrote some more in her notebook.

"She's also afraid of turtles!!" Sakura butted in. The nurse paused. She looked over her glasses on her nose.

"Turtles?" she asked. Sakura nodded smiling. "Okaaay, well please put on this gown so we can do a full body check. You may leave your panties and bra on," the nurse told Keitaro. She turned to Sakura and Komachi as Keitaro looked at the flimsy gown in abject horror. "You two can leave and go join your clubs now – it's about time."

"Okay!♥ C'mon, Komi-chan!" Sakura said, tugging on Komachi's sleeve.

"Don't worry, I'm sure Motoko-chan is just fine," the Nurse said, smiling. Komachi and Sakura left. The nurse pointed to a sectioned off room.

"Change in there and when you're ready you can come out," she said. She went to her desk and started writing some stuff while Keitaro walked behind the curtain. He stared at the gown in his hand. _Motoko-chan, please forgive me,_ Keitaro thought as he began to change.

-------------------Kendo Club Headquarters----------------

"Where is Motoko-san?" a girl asked, wearing the traditional warrior's uniform of a hakama and loose white shirt. Komachi suddenly burst in.

"Ah, Komachi-chan! Do you know where Motoko-chan is?"

"I'm sorry, but she's at the nurse. She was acting weird all day, so I had to force her to go to the nurse," Komachi explained.

"Ah, okay. Well, since Motoko-san is not here, then we should practice hard for tomorrow," the girl said.

"Good idea, Mayoko-chan!" the members said.

"Okay, do routine number 5," Komachi ordered. She was second in command, though probably not second best. They began.

--------------------Nurse's office---------------------

"Ah! That's cold!" Keitaro said as the nurse applied a stethoscope to his back.

"Breathe normally," the nurse ordered. She listened. "Okay, now take a deep breath." Keitaro did so.

"You seem fine, Motoko-chan," the nurse said.

"Good. Can I leave?" Keitaro asked. The nurse thought for a while.

"Well, since you're here, I might as well do a physical. You've basically gone through half of it already. Might as well just finish it," the nurse said.

"Okay, sure," Keitaro responded. The nurse did several more tests.

"Okay, now I need to check you breasts. Take off the gown," the nurse said.

"Whaaat?!" Keitaro exclaimed.

"C'mon, don't be shy, I'm not going to hurt you or anything," the nurse said.

"But…but…" Keitaro stuttered.

"Just take it off!" the nurse said, exasperated. She ripped off the gown.

--------------------Hallway of the School----------------

"Hello Sakura-chan. Are you going to a club?" a man on hall patrol asked.

"Ah, yes. I'm going to the Home Econ club," Sakura responded. _Actually, I'm looking for boys! But I can't say that because then Mo-chan and Komi-chan will get angry at me,_ Sakura thought.

"Cooking food, eh? I always thought you'd be a good cook. Well, hurry along then," the man said.

"Yes, Sensei," Sakura responded, and she walked off in the direction of the Home Econ club.

----------------Outside the Nurse's office---------------

::At the end of School::

"Motoko-chan! Are you okay?" Komachi asked. **SLIDE!**

"Here she is, and she is very healthy! She checks out 100!" the nurse said, smiling. She whispered in Komachi's ear. "Though she's a little shy!"

"Thank you," Komachi said, bowing.

"No problem," the nurse said, and she went back into her office. Keitaro was very red and couldn't stand quite properly.

"Motoko-chan, snap out of it! The nurse says you're healthy, so that's a good sign. The kendo club went well, we all practiced hard."

"Oh…that's good," Keitaro said, clearly thinking about something else.

"Err…Motoko-chan, this is where we part. I'll see you tomorrow. You'd better snap out of whatever you're in," Komachi said, and she left. Keitaro was at a loss.

"Let's see, if she went that way, I guess I have to go the other–"

"Motoko!!!!♥" Keitaro heard someone shout then someone landed on him.

"Oof! Who is that?" Keitaro asked.

"Su! Don't be so vicious!" Shinobu cried out, running after them. Keitaro turned around.

"Oh thank the stars, it's you guys!" Keitaro said.

"Motoko Motoko, you should have seen what we did in class today!!" Su called out.

"What? What did you do?" Keitaro answered.

"Uh…Su? This isn't Motoko, remember? It's Sempai!" Shinobu said.

"Oh. Well, Keitaro, want to hear what happened today?" Su said. _She doesn't even care,_ Shinobu thought.

"Well, first we had a Home Econ demo in class, but obviously the oven they were using was defective," Su started.

"Don't tell me you–" Keitaro started, and Su nodded.

"Yup!♥ I fixed it and also added some stuff!" Su said. "It made the oven so much better. Well, except when someone pressed the self-destruct button instead of the bake button."

"Self-destruct?! You crazy crazy kid!" Keitaro shouted.

"Haha! Of course!" Su laughed.

-----------------------------Hinata-sou---------------------------

"I'm back!" Keitaro said, flopping down on the couch. "Oh man, that was so much more trouble than it's worth.

"I'll go work on that device to get you back to normal, Keitaro, cause you're more fun that way!" Su said, and she bounced away.

"I have to cook dinner," Shinobu said.

"Don't you have homework to do?" Keitaro asked.

"Oh…yes…but I have to cook so–" Shinobu began, but Keitaro interrupted.

"No, no, you do it and I'll cook something," Keitaro said. "It seems that I can do that, at least."

"Y-yes, Sempai, I will," Shinobu said. She walked to the stairs, and looked back. Keitaro made the "shoo" motion with his hands.

"Go! I'll cook tonight," Keitaro said. **BAM!**

"We're baaaackk!" Naru and Motoko said. Keitaro lay on the couch.

"Well?" Naru asked.

"Well what?" Keitaro asked.

"What are you doing here all alone doing nothing?" Naru asked. "If you have nothing to do, let's go study!"

"Oh wait, I have something to do! I'm cooking dinner, goodbye!" Keitaro said quickly, and he left.

A/N: Okay, I have to say a few things about this chapter. Sorry for having a slew of OCs in this chapter, and they'll probably stay because Motoko's school is never mentioned in the Manga, and I don't like the groupie idea in the anime, so most characters are completely new. I hope you don't get angry…hope you like that the chapter is long this time…though it won't be this long all the time. Take it as the Christmas bonus chapter!! (Like there's such a thing) But at least the update this week is good. I felt like this chapter, while it introduced a whole slew of characters, was good. So do your thing and Please R&R!!


	4. Cram Schooler Motoko

Harmony of One

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina, any of its characters, or any thing Love Hina-ish. Ken Akamatsu does. So thank him for creating this awesome manga series.

A/N: I got some requests (perhaps only one…can't remember) to do Motoko's day at school, which I planned to do anyways, but it would've have been awfully short. I mean, what does Keitaro do at cram school except take tests? **Innortal** suggested a very good idea, which I will leave unspoken (unless you go and read the reviews…), for the story line, so it might actually be a good chapter, as I will be incorporating this idea into this chapter. Thanks **Innortal!** Thanks for all the reviews and please R&R!

"…" Denotes speech

_Italics_ Denotes thought

**Bold** Denotes sound effects

Certain Sounds:

**GOOMPH! **Means Fainting

**DOOONG!** Means Shock

::blah:: Denotes time/time change

------------- Denotes scene/scene change

######### Denotes daydreams and sleeping dreams

Chapter 4: Cram Schooler Motoko

---------------------Hinata-sou Kitchen-------------------

::6:00 PM::

"Dinner time!!" Keitaro shouted out loudly.

"FOOD!!♥" Su cried, but before she jumped in and started eating Keitaro stopped her.

"Hey! I want to eat!" Su said.

"Now, now, you have to be patient until everyone arrives, Su," Keitaro said. "It's only fair."

"Fair is for the late comers! Here I go!" Su shouted, and she ran back to jump at Keitaro. **BAM!!** He was kicked in the face and Su landed on her seat.

"Time to eat!" she cried.

"You should wait for everyone to come, Su!" Shinobu said. Naru, Motoko, and Kitsune filed in.

"Wow, you cooked, ah, Keitaro," Kitsune said. "Working on upgrading Motoko's feminine appearance?" she asked slyly.

"WHAT?!! Urashima, I do not allow this! No more cooking!" Motoko suddenly ordered.

"What do you mean, no more cooking?" Keitaro asked. "Just because Kitsune is spouting off some nonsense–"

"Why, that was a low blow!" Kitsune said, faking hurt.

"That's it, no more demands!" Motoko said, and she sat down.

"Well, I'm going to make some demands of my own, then! You aren't allowed to hit anyone!" Keitaro said, trying to get some ground.

"What? I don't think so, Urashima, you can't go around making demands like that. Even though it's your body, I'm in it, so too bad," Motoko said.

"But what about me?" Keitaro asked. "I'm in _your_ body, but it's still me! I'm still Keitaro!"

"Wimp," Naru said.

"Urm…Sempai? Can we eat?" Shinobu asked, secretly hoping that they would stop arguing.

"Fine, fine, yes, that's a good idea," Keitaro grumbled.

"YAY!!!♥ ITADAKIMASU!!" Su shouted in joy.

"Su!! Wait for everyone before starting!" Motoko said.

"Hmmphf?" Su asked, again food already in her mouth.

"Never mind," Motoko said. Su continued eating while everyone else shrugged and started to eat too.

"Wow, Keitaro," Naru said, "This is actually very good!"

"Mmm, Keitaro, a future cook in the making?" Kitsune said.

"No no, I just wanted to cook so Shinobu could take a break," Keitaro said. "I mean, she cooks everyday."

"Oh?" Naru asked.

"So Shinobu, what did you do to get Keitaro to cook for you?" Su asked.

"Eh? W-what do you mean, Su?" Shinobu stuttered, already red.

"Ha ha, you're turning red Shinobuuuuu!" Su cried.

"What are you talking about?" Shinobu asked nervously.

"Su, stop bothering Shinobu," Keitaro said. Shinobu sighed in relief.

"Hey, Keitaro, do you know what happened today?" Naru asked.

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"At cram school, today," Naru said.

"No, I don't know what happened," Keitaro responded. "How would I know? Was I there?"

"Sorry, just a way of introducing a subject," Naru answered him.

"Keitaro, apparently you have a secret that you haven't been telling us," Motoko said.

"Secret?" Keitaro asked.

"Morita Noriko ring any bells?" Motoko asked.

"Um…no?" Keitaro said.

"You're a dolt," Naru said. "Just like with everything else."

"What happened?"

"She gave me, no YOU, this," Motoko said, and handed a letter with pretty red hearts on it.

"Uh…okay," Keitaro said. He took it.

"Well? Read it!" Naru said. Keitaro opened it and read the letter.

"Dear Keitaro-sama," he started. Su giggled along with Kitsune.

"What's so funny?" Keitaro asked.

"Oh…hhmphf! Nothing, nothing at all!" Kitsune giggled.

"Ahem!" Keitaro coughed he kept on reading.

_Dear Keitaro-sama,_

_I have admired you for a long time, and have realized just how good your husband like qualities are. I now am going to take action. When you read this, I will ask you to be my boyfriend. Please accept._

"A-are you…joking?" Keitaro asked. "She…really? Heh heh, well, I never knew."

"I know! Even I had no idea!" Naru said.

"Well, what happened?" Keitaro asked.

"A heck of a lot of humiliation, that's what! I want you to deal with it!" Motoko demanded.

"How?" Keitaro asked.

"Fine, I'll tell you more," Motoko said.

----------------Cram School-----------------

::That Morning::

"Hurry up, Motoko, or we'll be late!" Naru said.

"Sorry, Naru, I'm coming!" Motoko cried, running after Naru. "All the training this morning has made me really stiff and sore, must be from Urashima's lack of physical ability."

"That's true, all we do is study. We don't have time to exercise," Naru mused. They burst into the correct room and quickly sat down. "Over here, Motoko!" Naru hissed. They both sat down.

"Ow!" Motoko said. "It hurts to sit down so fast."

"Having a problem, Urashima-san?" the sensei asked.

"Ah…no," Motoko said, and she gingerly sat down. "Ow," she muttered again.

"Okay, today, the first subject is math," the sensei said.

"Good, now we can see if you know the stuff," Naru whispered. The sensei began scribbling complex equations on the board.

"Now, if we see here that the surface area of rotation blah blah blah," the sensei drilled on. Motoko found it boring as she already had learned it yesterday from Naru.

"Is it usual for him to repeat what we learned already?" Motoko whispered.

"Yeah, I always find this part boring. But he only reviews for a little before handing out the tests," Naru whispered. "Then we go over the previous test that we took yesterday and learn new stuff."

"Oh," Motoko said. Suddenly someone tapped her from behind. "Eh?"

"Morita Noriko asked me to give you this," a guy said. He handed her a letter with pretty red hearts on it. "Urashima Keitaro, right?"

"Uh…yeah," Motoko answered, almost forgetting that she was Urashima. She sneaked a peak at the sensei then opened the letter. What was it? She read the letter. "Wha-what?!!" she exclaimed. _A…love letter?!!???!?!_

"What's wrong, Motoko?" Naru whispered, turning around slightly.

"Read this," Motoko said, and handed her the letter. Naru's eyes bulged as she read.

"What?!!" Naru exclaimed as well. "What the heck?!"

"Who is this Morita Noriko?" Motoko asked.

"Over there," Naru whispered pointing. Motoko looked, and instant recoiled. It was a pretty girl, at least, pretty enough, with long brown hair tied up in a ponytail, and deep green eyes. She looked love-struck, and gazed at Motoko (in reality, Keitaro) with a loving look.

"Eep!" Motoko shrieked silently to herself. "She's completely taken!"

"She's definitely not joking about this," Naru whispered. "Morita Noriko…what do I know about her? Nothing, I don't know anything about anyone…"

"Please hand in these tests to the usual place when you're done," the sensei said, snapping Motoko and Naru back to the matter at hand. The math period. The tests were all handed out.

"Please keep to yourself and no cheating," the sensei said. Motoko started on the first question.

_1.) Determine the surface area of rotation of the equation y x2 around the a.) x-axis and b.) y-axis. Show all work._

Motoko started scribbling down the work to the problem. She had a thought to look at Morita Noriko. _Kyaah! She's still staring at me!_ Motoko thought nervously. She continued to do the question. She stole another glance. _Does she ever do the problem??_ Motoko thought nervously as she say Morita Noriko still have her head in her hands, staring with a warm gaze at Motoko.

::English Period::

_She's still staring!!_ Motoko thought.

::Japanese History Period::

_Ahhh! Will she stop and do the test? Get a life!!_

::Science Period::

_No! She's still at it! Help me! Someone, older sister, please!!_

::Japanese Period::

_I can't concentrate!! AHHHHH!!!!!!!!!_

::Lunch::

**BRIIIIIIIIIINNNNNGGGGGG!!!!** The bell finally rang for lunch and Motoko jumped up and packed her bag.

"Woah! Why so fast?" Naru asked.

"Nothing, let's just leave!" Motoko said.

"Slow down, slow down!" Naru said.

"No, let's go!" Motoko demanded. But it was too late for Motoko.

"Keitaro-sama!!♥" Morita Noriko shrieked. "Wait for meee!!"

"Oops," Naru said.

"Keitaro-sama!" Noriko shouted, and she tripped and crashed into Motoko. **BANG!!**

"Motoko-chan!" Naru exclaimed in worry.

"Let me help you up, Keitaro-sama!" Noriko said, getting up first and offering a hand to Motoko.

"Err, I'm alright," Motoko responded, and she stood up by herself.

"Ah, did you receive my letter, Keitaro-sama?" Noriko asked, suddenly turning shy. Motoko coughed.

"Uh, yes," she said.

"Oh, good!!!" Noriko exclaimed with extreme joy. "Do you want to be my boyfriend?"

"Ah…no," Motoko said. Noriko was shocked.

"What? No?" she asked, with the "shimmer" eyes. "Please?"

"No," Motoko said. "Let's go, Naru."

"Why? Is she your girlfriend already, Keitaro-sama?" Noriko asked, pointing to Naru.

"What?! NO! Not at all!!!!" Naru shouted, turning red. "Never! Never in a million years!!"

"Then why not?" Noriko asked, pouting her lips.

"No is no, goodbye," Motoko said. She followed Naru to the cafeteria.

"Why not?" Noriko kept on asking. "Or maybe there's already someone else you like?"

"No! I just don't want this type of thing right now!" Motoko answered loudly.

"Please???" Noriko asked.

"No!"

"Please?"

"No!" This continued all the way to the lunch room where Motoko and Naru sat down to eat lunch.

"Why not, Keitaro-sama? You must have someone else, who is it?" Noriko asked, looking from side to side. "Perhaps she's just not here…maybe that black haired kendo girl I see you with sometimes?" _WHAT?!! She follows Keitaro home…stalks him, perhaps?_

"No! Not at all!" Motoko told her. "Stop bothering me!" Haitani and Shirai walked up.

"Hey, who's the new chick?" Haitani asked.

"Please, Keitaro-sama, make me your girlfriend!!" Noriko asked. **DOOOO-OOONG!! **Shirai and Haitani's mouth hit the floor while their glasses cracked.

"Oh, it's you two," Naru said. "The idiots."

"Who?" Motoko asked.

"You forgot who we were?!! We're only your best buddies, Shirai and Haitani!" Shirai shouted.

"Oh yeah, I remember you guys," Motoko said. "Now go away."

"WHAT?!!" Suddenly Noriko grabbed Motoko's hand and pulled.

"Please be my boyfriend!!" she pleaded.

"And what's with her? Excuse us, we need to talk!!" Haitani shouted, and he dragged Motoko away to a corner.

"What's with her begging to be your girlfriend?!" Haitani demanded to know, once they were in a corner.

"I don't know. And get your hands off me!" Motoko shouted.

"What? When did you get so demanding?" Haitani said. "You sound like that Motoko chick you keep on complaining about." _COMPLAINING? I'LL SHOW HIM WHEN I GET BACK!!!_

--------------Hinata-sou-----------------

::The present, dinner time, February 16th::

"Which reminds me!" Motoko shouted. **BAM!!!**

"Aieeeee!" Keitaro screamed, flying into the wall.

"How dare you complain about ME, you lecherous pervert!!" Motoko said. She advanced upon Keitaro.

"Hey! Just finish the story," Naru said, holding her back.

"Let me kill him for being a nuisance!" Motoko demanded.

"Then you'll just kill yourself!" Keitaro nervously shouted out.

"Hmmph, you're right. I'll kill you afterwards," Motoko said.

-------------Cram School Cafeteria-------------

::Lunch Time::

"I say you should accept her offer! Admit it, even though you really like Naru, you'll never get her! And this sounds awesome!" Haitani said. "I'm really jealous of you!"

"Then you can take her, because I won't! I doubt Urashima will really want it, either!"

"?" Haitani and Shirai asked. Motoko walked back.

"So, will you accept?" Noriko asked.

"NO!" Motoko shouted, and she ran away.

"Uh oh, I'll go get him back," Naru said.

"Did I make Keitaro-sama angry?" Noriko asked.

"Hey, Noriko, how bout you forget that idiot who can't even get into Todai for the life of him and date me instead?" Haitani asked, popping a flower out of nowhere.

"Not interested. Keitaro-sama, come back!!" Noriko shouted.

"Rats, rejected," Haitani said sadly.

---------------------Hinata-sou-------------------

::Present Time::

"And that's it," Naru said. "We came back after that."

"Ah," Keitaro said. "Well, at least you did the right thing…err…just keep on rejecting her, then," Keitaro said. "I assume you don't want a girlfriend?"

"No!!" Motoko said defiantly.

"Well, that's good. I don't even remember what she looks like…" Keitaro said, thinking.

"She has green eyes and brown hair," Naru said.

"Hmm…I still don't remember," Keitaro mused. **KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!**

"I'll get it," Keitaro said. He walked to the entry-way. "Yes?"

"Hello, does Urashima Keitaro live here?"

"Yes, who is it?"

"Morita Noriko, his girlfriend."

"Eh?!!" Motoko exclaimed.

"KEITARO-SAMA!!!♥" Noriko shrieked, and she ran in and jumped on top of Motoko.

"Hey!" Su cried. "Only I'm allowed to do that!"

"Get…off!!!" Motoko shouted.

"So this is Noriko, eh?" Kitsune said.

"Keitaro-sama…will you please be my boyfriend?" Noriko asked.

"No!!" Motoko said.

"Why not?"

"Because…he already has one!" Keitaro butted in.

"Aha! I knew it! Who, who?" Noriko asked. "You? You? Or maybe…you!" Noriko accused, going from each girl.

"She, ah, doesn't live here," Keitaro said.

"Liar!" Noriko said.

"It's true!" Keitaro insisted.

"I don't believe you. And why do you care so much anyways…you must be his girlfriend!!" Noriko suddenly said.

"What?! No, no, not at all," Keitaro said, laughing.

"It's true, I can see it in your eyes…you really like Keitaro-sama!" Noriko said. _Maybe because he is Keitaro?_ Naru thought ironically.

"Look, Noriko, you have to learn once someone says no, it means no," Naru said.

"Yeah, you can't push the subject so much," Kitsune said. "Take it from your elders."

"Well…I won't rest until I have absolute certainty Keitaro-sama will not have me," Noriko pouted.

"Look, it's final, he won't," Motoko said.

"I alone determine that! I'll be back, Keitaro-sama," Noriko said, and she left. The Hinata-sou was quiet for a while.

"How did she know where we live?" Kitsune asked, breaking the silence.

"Don't want to know. Probably stalks Urashima," Motoko said.

"Hey, no one stalks me!" Keitaro said.

"If someone is stalking you, how would you know? Idiot," Naru said.

"Hey, don't call me an idiot!" Keitaro whined.

"If you're one, why not?" Naru asked, teasing.

"Heeeeeeeey!" Keitaro whined. "Stop calling me dumb! At least I'm not violent!" **BAM!** "Owww…"

"Um…doesn't that just prove Keitaro's point?" Kitsune asked, as she and everyone else sweat-dropped.

-----------------Motoko's Room----------------

::Later, before bedtime::

"Ahhh….that was tiresome….ow!!" Motoko grunted in pain. She was sore from that morning. She tried to stretch. "OW!" _Why am I so much in pain? Why do my muscles act like I've never used them? …Wait…that's exactly why. Grrr…stupid Urashima never works out and so when I switched into his body, his stupid weakness became mine! No wonder. Hmmph! What a loser,_ Motoko thought. She started undressing. **SLIDE!!!**

"Eh?" Motoko asked, turning around. It was Keitaro.

"Hey, Motoko, I wanted to…ah, I'll come back later…" Keitaro told her, and he turned around to leave.

"PERVERT!!! DIE A THOUSAND DEATHS!" Motoko yelled. **BAAAAMM!!!**

"AIEEE!!!" Keitaro shouted, flying down the hall and hitting the wall. "I just wanted to talk to you…" Keitaro groaned, getting up slowly from the indent in the wall.

"FOOL! DIE!!" Motoko yelled again. **STRAIN!!** "OWW!" Motoko cried, and she collapsed in pain clutching her arm.

"Motoko!!" Keitaro exclaimed, running to her side and catching her. "Are you okay?"

"Your…weak…body…" Motoko said in between breaths, "Pain…cramp…"

"I'll take you to your room, Motoko," Keitaro said, and he picked her up and carried her to her room. He lay her on the futon that he dragged out with his foot. "Are you better now?"

"No…ow, my whole arm and shoulder hurts," Motoko said.

"Here let me help you," Keitaro told her. "Lay down on your stomach."

"Why should I listen to you?" Motoko grumbled while she did it anyways. **MASSAGE!** "Eh?! Why are you touching me?!! Don't!!"

"Don't worry, Motoko-chan, you'll feel a lot better," Keitaro said.

"Pervert! I bet you just want to touch me, right?!" Motoko accused.

"It's my own body! Don't I get a break?!!" Keitaro whined.

"Well…hmmph! Fine," Motoko said. Keitaro continued massaging Motoko.

"Err…Motoko?"

"Yes?"

"Can I borrow your student yearbook from last year, if you have one? Just so I can know who's in your class," Keitaro said.

"…sure." Motoko shifted uncomfortably. "You know, we haven't taken a bath yet…and you smell," Motoko said. Keitaro sniffed the air.

"I do?"

"Yes. You smell like dried sweat, and it's disgusting, so, err, I guess after this we should go and take a bath…" Motoko trailed off, and the room became silent. Keitaro massaged Motoko's shoulders some more. She sighed in relief. "As much as I don't want to say this…you're actually pretty good at this, it feels relaxing…"

"Err…" Keitaro stuttered, blushing red. **SLIDE!!!** The door opened and Naru and Kitsune were in the door way.

"Keitaro I wanted to ask you…" Naru started to ask.

"Eh?" Motoko and Keitaro said, looking up.

"Woah!!" Kitsune cried out. "Keitaro is receiving a sexy massage from Motoko!!"

"What?!! Not true at ALL!!" Motoko yelled. **SNAP!!!!** The next thing that happened was a bright light flashed and Kitsune had taken a picture.

"Waaaah!" Motoko cried. "Give me that camera!"

"Hah!♥ Never!" Kitsune giggled, and she ran away while Motoko chased her.

"You…you…" Naru breathed, pointing a finger at Keitaro.

"I-I was just massaging her shoulder because she was in pain!! I swear!!" Keitaro nervously explained, backing into a corner as Naru approached with a trembling fist.

"Explain THIS THEN!!!" Naru roared and Keitaro was hit, again, and this time sent into the twinkling starry night sky.

A/N: Okay, this chapter was shorter than the last one, but it's to be expected I guess. I just like to thank **SimmyC **for a nice dissertation on Japanese school systems (even though I still don't know a lot now), but I am still going to keep it the way I originally wrote it, just for consistency's sake. Better always wrong then most-times wrong and sometimes right. I just wanted to say also here, thanks for all the reviews. They always keep me going, typing away. I feel oh so special whenever I read a review, even if it's not a good one (though somehow I manage to elicit mainly good reviews. That just makes me more happy). I'm so glad I know about this website, and feel sorry for people that don't. I used to just fester as an manga/anime fan with nothing to do after I've read the manga series (or up to the released/scanlated point), but with this it's fun and exciting to read and type hypothetical stories. I always try to envision what the manga would look like if I could draw decently (or at all) and could make a FanManga, and that helps a lot. Well, I suppose you want to do something other than hear me blabber, so please R&R!!


	5. Kendo Club

Harmony of One

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina, any of its characters, or any thing Love Hina-ish. Ken Akamatsu does. So thank him for creating this awesome manga series.

A/N: Okay, so here it is, the fifth chapter! I hope this one is good! Someone complained (fairly, I might add) that they don't know who I'm referring too. I had thought I had already said that, but just to clarify. When I write "Keitaro" it is Keitaro in spirit, in Motoko's body. When I write "Motoko" it is the actual Motoko in Keitaro's body. Got it? Great! Other than that no rant today, so read on and enjoy!! Please R&R!

"…" Denotes speech

_Italics_ Denotes thought

**Bold** Denotes sound effects

Certain Sounds:

**GOOMPH! **Means Fainting

**DOOONG!** Means Shock

::blah:: Denotes time/time change

------------- Denotes scene/scene change

######### Denotes daydreams and sleeping dreams

Chapter 5: Kendo Club

---------------------Keitaro's Room------------------

::Still February 16th, Monday, that night::

Keitaro was studying the yearbook. All of the same people were in it – apparently nobody actually changed classes. He took out a piece of paper and began to scribble things on it.

_Girls:_

_Sakura – Motoko's bubbly Su-like friend_

_Komachi – Motoko's Comrade in Arms_

_Madoka – A gymnast_

_Maiko – Gymnast_

_Kazumi - ?_

_Hiroko - ?_

_Hoshiyo - ?_

_Boys:_

_Masanori – Athletic and Smart_

_Ryu – Lazy bum_

_Ikku – Stupid Trio_

_Katsumi – Stupid Trio_

_Nakamaro – Stupid Trio_

_Natsuo – Overweight_

_Hisaki – Big Fighter, wants to go After Motoko_

_Kano – Hisaki buffoon_

_Manzo – Hisaki buffoon_

_Montaro – Hisaki buffoon_

_Teachers_

_Math: Sensei Ueda_

_Science: Sensei Yayashi_

_History: Sensei Taji_

_English Sensei Adams_

_Japanese: Sensei Watanabe_

_PE: Sensei Sugimoto_

Keitaro paused, looking over the list. It was complete. He sniffed the air and realized he smelled something. Perfume? Air freshener? No, that's not it, it was him. He smelled like soap and didn't like it. For some reason or another, Motoko that night had cleaned him really hard with a brush. Keitaro winced at the memory and rubbed his back.

-------------------Hinata-sou Bath-----------------------

::Earlier that Night::

"You must be extra clean and refreshed tonight so tomorrow morning you can do your exercises properly!" Motoko said. "And where did you get all your bruises from?"

"Err…Narusegawa…and…" Keitaro didn't finished his sentence.

"Okay, I get the picture," Motoko replied. She continued to scrub everywhere. Keitaro was blindfolded again.

"Motoko-chan, what do you usually do in kendo club?" Keitaro asked after a while.

"Kendo club? If you must know, I lead exercises and drills. Then usually we have a mock battle and I judge it," Motoko answered, moving around and scrubbing various places. Keitaro kept silent for a while. The pail he was sitting on felt dangerously like it might collapse.

"I shall write some example drill sets for you, so nothing goes wrong, Urashima," Motoko said. "Turn around so I can wash the front."

"W-wait, I'd thought after last time we were going to skip the front!" Keitaro protested.

"Don't be such a whiny crybaby, Urashima. It's not like I like doing this too you know!!" Motoko growled. "But if I have too, I'm going to wash you thoroughly. Do you want to be tied up again?"

"No!! I give!!" Keitaro said, and he turned around. Motoko started to rub a cloth this time over the front. It tickled as she washed various "sensitive" areas.

"So what happened at school today, Urashima?" Motoko asked after a while.

"Oh, the normal stuff," Keitaro said, wanting to skip over that subject.

"I told you what happened at your school – it is now your duty to tell me what transpired at mine," Motoko informed him.

"Oh…do I really have to?" Keitaro asked.

"Yes!!" Motoko shouted. "Jeez, it's my school after all…unless you were doing something perverted!!!" Motoko raised a sword.

"No!! I swear!!" Keitaro said, cringing and cowering.

"Hmmph! We shall, see, well, carry on Urashima," Motoko ordered. Keitaro began and told her all that had happened to the best of his memory.

"You…had…gym…and…went…into…the…GIRLS' LOCKER ROOM?!!!!" Motoko bellowed after hearing his tale.

"Err…well, you see, I was trying to stop her but–"

"UNFORGIVABLE!!!" Motoko shouted.

"No!!! Someone help meeeee!!!!" Keitaro yelled, cowering for the second time that night, waiting for the huge blast of ki that would knock him somewhere into the starry sky. No such blast came, however.

"Hmmph!" Motoko said. "Can't help it, I guess. Because you'll have to probably do that a lot, though if Komachi-chan knew…" Motoko giggled. That's right, she giggled. _Does Motoko usually giggle like that?_

"Sorry, Urashima, but I was just imagining what would've happened to you if Komachi-chan knew you were a guy," Motoko said, holding her hand over her mouth.

"What's with you? One moment you're threatening to kill me and the next your giggling," Keitaro said.

"Hmmph! It's not like I don't know how to laugh, Urashima," Motoko said, a frown appearing on her face. She continued to clean, and became silent. Keitaro was glad she didn't ask any more questions, because he had left out the physical checkup part. He turned red just thinking about it.

"What are you thinking, Urashima??!!" Motoko suddenly asked. She had seen him turn red, he guessed.

"Ah…nothing!! Nothing at all!!" Keitaro said.

"Can you see out of the blindfold?" Motoko asked again, this time more suspiciously.

"NO!" Keitaro shouted in fear.

"Okay…I believe you…this time…" Motoko said. She scrubbed some more, then turned to the hair.

"Urashima, I'm going to wash the hair, so make sure your blindfold doesn't fall off," Motoko warned. "And I mean it." She took a towel and started scrubbing Keitaro's head.

"Is this going to be done soon?" Keitaro asked.

"You must be clean as always, Urashima," Motoko said. After a while, she was finally done.

"Okay, you're almost done," Motoko said.

"By the way, why do you wear bindings?" Keitaro asked, stupidly.

"Whaaat? What business is that of yours?!" Motoko asked, shocked.

"Because it hurts. Why not just wear a bra – YEOW!" Keitaro suddenly screamed as Motoko took a brush and scrubbed visciously.

"Don't ever ask such things!! And if I catch you without it, then you're dead meat!" Motoko said. **SCRUB!**

"OW!! Don't kill me yet! Ow!"

"I just need to make sure **all** the dirt is gone," Motoko said. She scrubbed harder.

"Ow ow ow ow ow ow!!!!" Keitaro winced as he cried out in pain. Motoko stopped.

"There. You're all clean," Motoko said. Keitaro rubbed his head. "There's too much hair.

"Don't even THINK about cutting it off," Motoko said.

"Don't worry, you've already told me that," Keitaro replied, rubbing his head.

---------------Keitaro's Room--------------

::Present time::

Keitaro mused over the list. He was glad Motoko was beginning to get – how could he put it? – more aware of his clumsiness, perhaps. No, that wasn't right. _At least she laughed today,_ Keitaro said. Of course, it had been a laugh about Keitaro getting beaten up by Komachi. _Oh well._ Keitaro pulled out the futon in his room. It was awkward now, because Motoko still demanded to use her room, but whenever the morning came…the morning. _Oh darn it! I have to wake up tomorrow to work on my fighting skills. I don't want to, but I guess I have to keep up Motoko's reputation…_ Keitaro decided to sleep right now. He turned off the light and got into the futon. He found it odd now, sleeping with two things hanging onto his chest (of course he didn't **dare** mention it to anyone). During the daytime it would get so sore… _Perhaps I could just take it off before I sleep,_ he thought. Then he thought what would happen if Motoko found out. _Err…bad idea. _He slept.

::February 17th, Tuesday, 5:00 AM::

Keitaro snored loudly and turned over.

"No…please don't kill me again…" he mumbled. He grunted and shifted. **Slide!** His door opened, and Motoko crept in. _Hmm, the louse is asleep again. Won't wake up by himself, eh?_ Motoko thought. _This should wake him up!_ Motoko had planned on Keitaro still sleeping, and had brought something special. She crept to the sleeping form of Keitaro and held up something to her own face. A mask, it would seem, of a monster that was grotesquely ugly. It had lumps in weird places and was missing an eye. Motoko put her face in front of Keitaro and poked him.

"No, please, I want to sleep some more mommy…" Keitaro said, turning over. _Stupid pervert!_ Motoko went to the other side and poked him harder.

"Urashima…" she whispered. He didn't respond. Motoko grabbed his shoulders and shook him viciously.

"What is it? Who's there?" Keitaro asked, finally awake. He was rubbing his eyes. He looked at the clock.

"Woah!! It's five? I'm sorry Motoko!" Keitaro said, turning around. He finally saw Motoko with her mask on. "Woah!! Why are you wearing that? Is it for training?" Motoko sweat-dropped. _It didn't work. I'll have to get him next time._ Motoko took it off.

"No, Urashima. Are you ready?" Motoko asked.

"Not quite…I can't find the wooden sword you gave me…" Keitaro said, looking around.

"Is it this?" Motoko asked. She held up the sword.

"Oh! Where did you find it?" Keitaro asked.

"Downstairs. Really, Urashima, if you can't even take care of your belongings, how are you going to do things like go to Todai?" Motoko asked. **STAB!**

"I-I…" Keitaro stuttered.

"Let's go." Motoko walked out of the room, and Keitaro scrambled to follow her. They walked down the halls and up the flight of stairs to the roof area, where the sun had just begun to peek over the clouds, sending it's orange-red rays into the sky. Keitaro looked at the calming scenery and yawned.

"Actually I just want to sleep right here…" Keitaro said, and he lay down on the wooden floor.

"Urashima! Get up!" Motoko said, and she kicked him hard.

"Ow! Okay, I'm sorry, Motoko," Keitaro said. He stood back up and brought out his sword.

"Urashima, we will begin again with the basic stroke, but I have an urge to carry on today and move to more advanced strokes. Thus, we will only do a hundred. Remember, doing them sloppily will not count as doing them at all," Motoko told him. She held her sword in a ready position. She lifted it and swung down.

"One!" Keitaro imitated Motoko's movements.

"One!" he said. Motoko repeated her pervious movement.

"Two!"

"Two!" Keitaro cried, again imitating Motoko.

::Half an hour later, 5:30 AM::

"One hundred!" Motoko said.

"One hun-hundred!" Keitaro panted. He was tired a sweating.

"How come you only did one hundred and you're already tired?" Motoko asked. "Don't be a wimp, Urashima."

"It's from yesterday…" Keitaro moaned. He stretched out his arms.

"Okay, maybe you're spirit is just permanently a spineless man-less jellyfish," Motoko commented. "Because I could daily do three thousand basic strokes before **you** inhabited my body." Keitaro didn't answer. He knew it was true, because he always heard her practicing each morning for hours before school started at eight.

"Well I can't be like you perfectly," Keitaro groaned.

"You can try! Okay, next is the side swing," Motoko said. She took her sword and swung it from side to side. "We will do this a hundred…well, fifty times. If we are to finish for breakfast at seven, we will have to do less. Let's go, Urashima." Motoko swung her sword.

"One!" Motoko cried.

"One," Keitaro responded, imitating her movements.

"Two!" Motoko shouted, swinging again.

"Two," Keitaro answered, following Motoko.

::Fifteen Minutes later::

"Fifty!"

"Fifty!" Keitaro swung the sword side to side.

"Okay, next is the up swing…" Motoko started to say.

::7:00 AM::

"We made good progress today, Urashima," Motoko said to a panting, gasping Keitaro. He collapsed on the floor.

"I…(pant)…do…(pant)…this…(pant)…anymore…" Keitaro said.

"Well, at least this time you managed to make it until seven. This is what we call progress," Motoko told him. "You should be happy. But get up! You're making me look ridiculous, if anyone saw me on the floor dying, my reputation would be ruined and I'd be known as the gasping girl. Come on now."

"I…(pant)…can't…" Keitaro groaned. He still lay on the roof panting for air, like a dog.

"Motoko!! Time for breakfast!" Shinobu called out from the entrance to the Hinata-sou.

"See? It's time to eat," Motoko said.

"I…feel like I'll barf if I eat…" Keitaro managed to say.

"Urashima, while practicing can hurt, not eating afterwards is even worse. It's like studying for hours before a test then not getting enough sleep prior to taking the test," Motoko said. Keitaro was hit with realization. How many times had this happened before? He could remember at least five times where he had pulled all-nighters studying with Naru, only to find out that his lack of sleep had lowered his concentration and caused him to fail the test.

"I still…can't…move…" Keitaro gasped.

"Fine, you leave me no choice," Motoko said. She bent down to pick him up. Suddenly she clutched her back. "Ow! Urashima, you're stupid body is to stiff to do anything!" She slowly stretched. **CRACK!!** "Ow!" Motoko grabbed a railing to keep from falling over.

"I'm…sorry…" Keitaro said in between breaths.

"Don't be sorry, keep in shape!" Motoko said. She started to stretch again, and this time was able to move – slowly.

"Urashima, we make a pathetic sight," Motoko commented. Indeed they did, because Keitaro was still on the ground, panting for breath, and Motoko could barely move.

"Okay, I think we can make it now," Motoko said. "Urashima, you have to get up!" Keitaro reached out a hand to Motoko.

"I…can…only…get…up…if…you…help," Keitaro groaned.

"Urashima, I can't bend down," Motoko said. Keitaro withdrew his hand.

"Oh…well," he said slowly. He resigned himself to lying on the wooden floor forever. Forever it seemed, though, was very short.

"Let's go!" Motoko grunted, and with a mighty pull, she brought Keitaro to his feet. Keitaro grabbed the railing as soon as he was up.

"Coming…" he said, and followed Motoko who was hobbling to the kitchen.

-------------Hinata-sou Kitchen-----------

::7:15 AM::

Motoko and Keitaro finally stumbled in.

"?" everyone asked, turning their heads.

"Yay!! It's Motoko!" Su cried, and she jumped on top of Keitaro.

"YEOW!" Keitaro yelped, and he collapsed.

"Motoko?" Su asked, on the floor.

"Su!! It's Sempai!!!" Shinobu said.

"Oh," Su replied. "Are you okay, Keitaro?" Keitaro was swirly-eyed. "Are you dead?" Motoko hobbled down and slowly sat in her seat.

"Tough morning?" Kitsune asked.

"It's only because Urashima doesn't keep his body in shape that I'm so sore," Motoko replied. She slowly started to put food into her mouth.

"Well, I assume you'll push Keitaro's body into rock hard buffness," Kitsune said. "Then maybe he'll look better," Kitsune mused, her hand on her chin. She carefully eyed Motoko.

"What are you doing?" Motoko asked after seeing Kitsune's eyes exploring her body.

"Just trying to imagine what Keitaro would look like buff," Kitsune replied nonchalantly. She continued to eye Motoko. Motoko went back to eating. Kitsune continued.

"Would you stop it?!!!" Motoko yelled.

"Okay, okay, I'm done already," Kitsune said. She went back to eating her own food. Keitaro, meanwhile, had managed to sit down and start eating. He took the chopsticks and started to eat. Suddenly he dropped them and his head hit the table. **ZZZZZZZZ!**

"He's out!" Su exclaimed. She poked him.

"Oh no!! How will Sempai go to school like this?" Shinobu asked worriedly.

"Urashima! Wake up!" Motoko shouted. "You can't be like this!" Keitaro continued to snore into his food.

"Okay, Su, get some water," Naru said.

"Water?" Shinobu asked. "How will that help?" Naru had walked over to the sleeping form of Keitaro and turned him over, mouth up.

"Here's the water!" Su said. Naru took the glass and poured it down his open mouth.

"You'll kill me!" Motoko suddenly shouted in horror. "And him!" **COUGH! COUGH!** Keitaro coughed violently and spat the water out on the floor.

"Awake now?" Naru asked. She walked back to her seat and continued to eat.

"Y-yes…" Keitaro said.

"Sempai!! Are you okay?" Shinobu cried, worried.

"Yeah, (cough) yeah, I'm fine…" Keitaro said. He picked up his chopsticks and started to eat again. Everyone finished and soon it was eight o'clock. **DONG!** The clock chimed, and everyone began to get ready for school. Keitaro's face fell.

"School…" he merely stated.

-----------------School, Classroom 4-E-------------------

"Motoko-chan, you look tired today," Komachi commented. Keitaro was tired. Tired of life, tired of everything. At least that was the way he felt.

"Yes, I didn't get enough sleep last night," he said.

"Mo-chan!! I can't believe you'd do something like that!" Sakura said.

"Sakura-chan is right, you always get enough sleep…" Komachi said. "I'm worried about you, Motoko-chan. Ever since yesterday you haven't been acting like yourself." Keitaro's demeanor changed immediately when he heard that.

"No! I'm alright, really!" Keitaro insisted. He picked up his attitude. Suddenly a hand slapped down on his desk.

"Sleeping today, Motoko-chan?" Hisaki said. Three big people behind him snickered. Keitaro could only guess that they were Kano, Manzo, and Montaro, the henchmen of Hisaki.

"What gives you the right to use the "chan" suffix with Motoko-chan?" Komachi asked. Sakura was giggling to herself. _What is she laughing about?_ Keitaro thought.

"Heh, I can say chan whenever I want," Hisaki said. Keitaro thought about slipping away. "Right, Motoko-_chan_?" Hisaki said. Komachi got angry and her face turned red.

"Motoko!! Get rid of this idiot now!" Komachi shouted.

"You can't get rid of me, silly girl," Hisaki said. "Not unless you want to be beaten down by my friends over here." Kano, Manzo, and Montaro chuckled and cracked their knuckles menacingly.

"Motoko!" Komachi shouted. She had seen her do it plenty of times before – what was wrong with her now?

"Hisaki! Are you making trouble?" the sensei shouted. It was Sensei Taji because today they had history first period.

"No, sir," Hisaki said.

"Sit back in your seat, the class is about to start," Sensei Taji said. Hisaki and his goons went and sat down on their chairs. After Sensei Taji had started to talk, Komachi leaned over and whispered.

"Motoko-chan, what's wrong with you today? Have you seen a doctor?" she asked. Keitaro had his head down on his desk and was snoring lightly.

"Masanori!" Taji suddenly shouted. "Wake up! There will be no sleeping in my class or I'll make you squat for the entire length of it!" While this shout was not directed at Keitaro, it woke him up.

"N-no…I don't need a doctor," Keitaro said.

"I think you should," Komachi said. "And not just a basic checkup – you should get it done by a professional downtown. After Kendo Club, we'll take you."

"Yay!! I get to go on a trip with Mo-chan and Komi-chan!" Sakura cheered.

"Sakura-chan, please sit down," Sensei Taji said.

"Yes, sir." Keitaro didn't really take anything in. He was too tired. _At least I finished my homework last night,_ he thought. _Or actually, Motoko's homework._

Class went without any further hitch, and so did all the other classes. It wasn't until club time that anything interesting happened. And happen things did.

-----------------Kendo Club Headquarters-----------------

"Motoko-san!" one of the members of the Kendo club greeted. "I'm glad to see your healthy again!" She bowed. Keitaro looked around. It was mainly girls; Keitaro had expected that, but in a few cases the members turned out to be boys. Why would that be? _I HATE THOSE SPINELESS JELLYFISHES!_ Keitaro could hear the words too clearly in his head. Motoko had only told him several hundred times before blasting him with a wave of ki. Keitaro nodded to her and walked around. Motoko had done as promised – she had written a list of drills and exercises to do.

"Oh, she's not that much better yet," Komachi said.

"Is it true, Motoko-san?"

"N-no…" Keitaro denied unconvincingly.

"She's lying. Again, Motoko-chan, you don't know what's good for you," Komachi said. "But don't worry, we'll take her to the doctor afterwards."

"Good." Keitaro coughed for attention.

"Since I'm not feeling well, according to Komachi-chan ("Don't look at me like that," Komachi said), I have a list of exercises you guys should do," Keitaro said.

"What is it, Motoko-sama?" one male member asked. Keitaro almost told him not to call him "sama," but Motoko's future actions loomed in his mind instead. He wasn't used to people looking up to him, nor for people to actually listen to him.

"Ah…" Keitaro said while perusing the list. "First we'll warm up with fifty of each stroke, basic, side, up, down, and block," Keitaro said. He remembered only too well what each of these were. Motoko had had Keitaro do many of these that same morning.

"Yes!" the club responded, and Komachi took the central position, with rows of Kendo members behind her. She swung.

"One!" she cried.

"One!" the club responded.

"Two!" Komachi swung a sword.

"Two!" the club imitated. Keitaro sat down when suddenly Sakura came and jumped on him.

"Keitaro!!!♥" she cried. _Wait, Sakura calls Motoko Mo-chan, so it must be…_ "I'm here!!!" It was Su. "Aren't you glad?"

"Su!! What are you doing here??!!!" Keitaro whispered hoarsely. "You can't call me Keitaro here!"

"But, you **are** Keitaro!" Su said, confused. She jumped onto Keitaro.

"Shhh!" Keitaro whispered again. "And get off!"

"Why?"

"Mo-chan!!" Sakura shouted, running in. "Help!!"

"Sakura-chan?!!" Keitaro shouted, turning around. Sakura was running away while a big buff man came in.

"Wait, Sakura-chan, heh heh," he laughed. "I'm not done yet!" Su looked from Sakura to the big man chasing her to Keitaro.

"Mo-chan!!" Sakura shouted again, grabbing onto Keitaro like a post. Keitaro turned red, though only slightly.

"Eh?" the big man said. "Who are you?"

"She's my protector!!" Sakura shouted, sticking her tongue out at him.

"U-uh yeah! Don't do anything you'll regret!" Keitaro said. He was trying his best to be just like he thought Motoko would act. Of course, in reality, he knew that in a moment Motoko would lash out with her "Rock Splitting Technique" at this intruder without question, be Keitaro couldn't do that yet.

"How can you stop me?" the big man growled.

"Unless you didn't notice," Keitaro said. "You've just walked into a kendo club."

"Oh yeah? Well, unless you didn't notice, stupid girl, you've just met the master of the judo club!" The big man cracked his knuckles. _Oh no!! I'm soooooooo dead!_ Keitaro thought, but his outside was unchanged. He was trying really hard to fight the urge that told him to save his own skin. "And I've brought all of my buddies, heh heh." It was true, as several similarly tough guys started to walk in the hall. They all cracked their knuckles like a percussion ensemble. Komachi had halted the practice.

"We could crush you like the worm you are, you spineless nematode!" Komachi shouted. "I dare you to take us on!"

"Oh, you got me now! Prepare to fight!"

"Wait!" one of the boys said. "The teachers might catch us!"

"Oh, so backing down are you? I thought as much," the Judo club leader taunted.

"No, I'm just saying Motoko-sama and you should battle instead of all of us. It makes more sense that way," the boy member said. _No!! That is the worst thing out of all!_ Keitaro thought. His urge swelled, but somehow he managed to stay put. It could've been out of fear, though.

"Good idea. You game? I'll crush you like the wimpy girl you are!" the big man shouted. Keitaro was busy, however, remembering the one time he had got into a fight in high school. The result had not been pretty.

-------------------------Keitaro's High School-----------------------

::Sometime in the past::

"What did you call me?" a big boy asked. "What did you say?" He pushed a high school sized Keitaro into the wall.

"I was just saying that my mom makes the best pastries and buns!" Keitaro shouted. He was adamant about few things, but this he was sure of.

"Yeah, and I'm a monkey's uncle!! Stupid! Of course your mom doesn't make the best ones," the boy told him. He grabbed the box that Keitaro was holding. "Let's see what's in here?"

"Don't you dare!" Keitaro said, but he was pushed away. By now, a semi-large crowd had gathered.

"Ooooo, look it's the **best** bun in the world! Ha! This is what I think of your buns!" He took it and threw it to the ground, stepping on it and squashing the bun. The carefully made bun broke, the black bean paste inside oozing out. "Hey! I got some paste on my shoe! Lick it off, Keitaro! Or else!" The boy made a slicing motion across his neck and raised his shoe.

"Lick it! Lick it!" the crowd chanted. Keitaro had a different idea. He grabbed the other boy's leg and pulled.

"Woah!" the bully cried, slipping and falling on his back. **BAM!! SQUORSH!! **He landed on the bun. "Why you!!" Keitaro had (after asking for his mother's forgiveness) opened the box and mashed all the black bean buns in it into the bully's face. **SQUASH!!!**

"Ooooooooo," the crowd went.

"You…you…" the bully growled while standing up. Keitaro had his arms crossed in defiance.

"Hmmph!" He said. The crowd murmured in surprise. Since when had Keitaro gotten so out of line? He never did anything even remotely troublesome.

"TAKE THIS, IDIOT!!!" the bully bellowed, smashing Keitaro across the face. **BAAAAM!!!** He left Keitaro a smoldering wreck across the hall and walked away.

"Keitaro-kun! Are you all right?" a teacher had ran up and was poking Keitaro to see if he would respond.

"Oww…" he moaned. ("How is he still alive?" the crowd asked.)

-------------------Kendo Club Headquarters--------------------

::Present Time::

"HAHAHA!!! Looks like your sempai is too weak for anything!" the judo club member roared. Keitaro snapped back to the situation on hand. Yes, last time in high school he had been plastered, but at least he was respected for sticking up for himself. But then again, usually he was a wimp and now usually the person he by some messed series of events was, was usually strong. _What should I do?_ Keitaro thought.

"Motoko-san! You cannot let this worm make fun of you like this!" a member cried. "Defeat him now!"

"Defeat me? You cannot defeat me!" the Judo Leader roared. Keitaro didn't know what to do, but Komachi quickly ended that.

"Motoko-chan accepts the challenge! There is no way she cannot lose!" Komachi cried, and she pushed Keitaro forwards.

"Eh?" Keitaro asked, still thinking about what to do.

"Alright! Prepare to die!!!" the Judo leader shouted. Su, meanwhile, who had been watching this all this time, was scared. _Oh no!! Keitaro's going to get beaten up and die! I know, I'll stall him with a special weapon I made last night!_

"Wait, wait just a moment…" Keitaro said, but the Judo leader lunged.

"HIYA!!!" he cried, swinging a fist. Keitaro tried to dodge it, but only managed to half-dodge it. **BAM!** Keitaro was hit. "Haha! So easy!"

"Motoko-chan!! How could you?!! GET BACK UP AND FINISH HIM!!" Komachi shouted in Keitaro's face, scaring him. Su suddenly handed Keitaro something.

"Psst! Use this! Put it on the blade of your sword!" Su whispered, and she walked away leaving Keitaro wondering what Su had given her.

"Who is she? Another pathetic girl?" the Judo leader asked. He was in a fighting pose, his feet spread apart and fists at the ready. Keitaro examined the object in his hand, and stuck it as directed on the blade of his sword. "Take this!" The Judo leader swung again, but the sword suddenly flew towards his hand and smacked it away.

"That's right, now take him down!" Komachi cheered. **BAM! BAM!! BAAAM!!!!** The sword forced Keitaro into swinging several times, but the Judo leader managed to block it.

"Oh, so you're finally fighting back!" he said. "Good, but it won't help you!" And the Judo leader suddenly started to unleash a major assault.

"Errk!" Keitaro yelped, but somehow the sword blocked each and every attack. Suddenly the device on the sword spoke – "DIE!!!"

"What?" the Judo leader asked.

"ROCK SPLITTING TECHNIQUE!!!" And the sword flashed down and the Judo leader went flying into the distance. _Eh?_ Keitaro asked himself.

"Ha! I knew Motoko-chan would win!" Komachi said. "Now leave!" The Judo club slowly filed out of the Kendo Club's place.

"Good job, Motoko-chan!" Komachi said. Keitaro dropped the sword in a hurry. It landed on the floor with a clatter. "?" Komachi peered at Keitaro. "What's wrong?"

"Ah…" Keitaro stuttered. _I can't say I'm scared the sword will strike out and kill me…_ Keitaro said. Komachi picked up the sword. "Here, don't be so clumsy. Maybe I'll mention this to the doctor."

"How many times do I need to tell you I don't need a doctor!! Look, I just defeated that guy, which proves I'm okay? Okay?!!" Keitaro said, loudly in a hurry.

"Okay okay, jeez, don't get so angry," Komachi said. Keitaro sighed in relief.

"Good, Komachi-chan." Su jumped on Keitaro.

"And who's this? Su-chan, am I right?" Komachi asked.

"Yup!♥" Su answered. Sakura came over.

"Thank you Mo-chan!!♥" she squealed, grabbing Keitaro in a fierce hug. Keitaro turned bright red.

"Uh…Sakura-chan, you're welcome, but could you release me…"

"Thank you, I was so scaaaareed!" Sakura whined.

"What did we tell you about getting mixed up with boys?" Komachi said. "Next time don't do it!"

"I love you Mo-chan!" Sakura said. Keitaro just blushed red and looked away.

"Ahem, but, err, I have to be getting home now…" Su leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"I bet you're loving it, pervert!♥" she said.

"What?!! No!" Keitaro said to Su.

"Okay, that's enough, Sakura-chan," Komachi said. She finally let go, but Keitaro had had too much. He fainted.

"Motoko-chan?"

"Mo-chan?"

"Keitaro?"

::Later::

"Ahh!" Keitaro yelped as he sat up suddenly. He was lying on a bed in a hospital…no wait it wasn't. No hospital was this…pink. Where was he?

"Ah, Motoko-chan, you're awake," Komachi said.

"Where am I?" Keitaro asked. He was in a room that was pink. There was no other way to put it. Pink. There were various posters hung up on the wall with actors on them in "manly" poses. The bed he was on had frilly pink covers and the dresser had crystal figurines – unicorns, horses, mice, and other animals.

"At Sakura's house," Komachi said. "It is the closest one to the school."

"Ah," Keitaro responded. _I should have guessed as much,_ he thought.

"Mo-chan, I made tea!" Sakura said.

"And I helped her!" Su cried out.

"Those two have become fast friends," Komachi whispered. "But now that you're better, I feel it better to leave. Personally, I feel a discomforting aura from this room." Komachi got up. "But we'll drink tea first, because it'll make you feel better." Keitaro was handed a steaming cup of tea while the others sat around a heated table and chatted lightly.

"So, Su, where do you live?"

"Oh, I live in an apartment with Motoko!" Su cried out.

"Yes, the Hinata-sou, correct?" Komachi said.

"Uh huh!" Su replied.

"Is it good there?" Komachi asked.

"Oh, it's great! I love it, and our manager is so funny!" Su shouted. Keitaro, hearing this, got out of bed in a hurry.

"Ah, we have to go now, so thanks for the tea Sakura-chan!"

"Oh, but you can't go yet!" Sakura pouted. "I haven't even let you see my special collection!" Sakura got up and searched her closet for something.

"What is this a collection of?" Keitaro asked wearily.

"You'll see!" Sakura said. She kept on searching while Komachi sipped her tea.

"What is so great about this manager, Su?" Komachi asked.

"That's easy!"

"It is?" Keitaro asked in horror.

"Yup!! He's fun to play with!" Su cried.

"Well, that's good, and…wait, did you say "he?" Isn't the Hinata-sou a all-girls dormitory?"

"Ah…" Keitaro stuttered. "Well, it's a long story and–"

"Motoko-chan! I cannot allow you to live under the rule of a man!" Komachi cried.

"Don't worry! Keitaro's a really great guy!" Su said.

"Oh? And what are his redeeming qualities?" Komachi asked Su. But before Su could list Keitaro's "redeeming" qualities, Sakura came back out and plopped a stack of magazines in front of Keitaro.

"I found them!" She said. Keitaro took a look and spit his tea that he was drinking all over the place. It was "Cosmo" magazines. _Get the guy in 5 days! We tell YOU how to do it in ten simple steps!_ The front cover boasted.

"Mo-chan, now you can find a guy! These are also for Komachi!" Sakura said.

"Sakura-chan!! We DON'T need these!" Komachi said, and she took them and threw them in the trash.

"Hey!! My collection!" Sakura wailed. "I saved them up for you guys too!"

"Sakura-chan, do you not remember anything from this afternoon?" Komachi asked.

"But I wasn't even looking for boys at that point!" Sakura wailed. Keitaro got up as Su jumped on him.

"Well, I thank you again, Sakura-chan, but I have to go home before they start worrying about me," Keitaro said. Komachi stopped arguing with Sakura and grabbed Keitaro's arm as he started to leave.

"I will escort you home. I am interested to meet this "manager" of yours," Komachi said.

"No!! I mean, no thank you, but I'm okay," Keitaro said.

"?" Su asked. She put a finger in her mouth and cocked her head to a side.

"No," Komachi said. "And you can't stop me, Motoko-chan."

"I want to come too!" Sakura said.

"Yes, that's a good idea," Komachi said. "Now let us go." Keitaro's whole demeanor drooped. What was going to happen?

------------------------------Hinata-sou-------------------------

::5:00 PM::

"Where is that idiot?" Naru complained.

"A-ah, I don't know. I don't even know where Su went after school…" Shinobu said. All the residents of the Hinata-sou were sitting in the living room, waiting for Keitaro and Su to start dinner soon.

"He should at least call!" Naru said. Motoko was studying Todai material. The exam was coming up soon, but she had been doing well.

"Oh? Is someone worried about their future partner?" Kitsune asked, taking a short break from watching TV to tease her best friend.

"Wha-what? There's no such thing!" Naru said.

"Shinobu, you might as well start to cook without them. They'll be back eventually," Motoko said.

"Motoko, you look quite studious today. Just like Keitaro!" Kitsune said.

"Well, it is difficult," Motoko commented. **SLIDE!**

"I'm ba-back," Keitaro panted, apparently tired.

"Yay!" Su shouted. She hopped down lightly from Keitaro's back and into the Hinata-sou.

"Finally!" Naru said. "You know, idiot, you could've at least called to tell us you'd be late."

"Ah, Narusegawa…" Keitaro began, but was cut off.

"Hey!! Motoko-chan is not an idiot, but a hard worker! Who are you to criticize?" Motoko's ears perked up. She looked up and saw to her complete abject horror that Komachi was there.

"Who are you?" Naru asked.

"I'm Iida Komachi, friend of Motoko-chan," she said. "And who are you?"

"I'm Narusegawa Naru," Naru answered.

"Huh, and you must be Urashima Keitaro!" Komachi said, pointing at Motoko.

"Ah…Komachi-chan, wait a moment…"

"Hey!! I didn't say a spineless man like you could use the "chan" suffix," Komachi said.

"Mo-chan, you didn't tell me that you're manager was so cute!" Sakura said, who had run up to Motoko and was examining her.

"Wha-wha-what?!!" Motoko and Keitaro said at once.

"Did you say cute, Sakura-chan? Even though I don't usually say things like this, you obviously have not looked properly. Are you blind? This is a spineless worm!" Komachi said.

"Heh heh…" Keitaro laughed nervously.

"Urashima…come here…" Motoko growled, grabbing him aside.

"Hold on Komachi-chan…" Keitaro said while being pulled aside.

"Why did you bring them here?" Motoko asked.

"Ah, well, you see, I didn't exactly do that. They said they wanted to see who was the manager of the dorm, and–" Keitaro started.

"Why didn't you tell them no?!" Motoko hissed at him.

"I tried, but–"

"You didn't try hard enough!" Motoko whispered in anger.

"I'm sorry, Motoko-chan," Keitaro apologized.

"Hmmph!" Motoko said.

"Well?" Komachi said. "Don't you have anything to say?" Motoko turned around. She knew what mindset Komachi was in – after all, she had been in the same mindset and knew her best friend after all.

"Komachi-chan, don't worry. I have not touched Motoko-chan, or done anything even slightly inappropriate," Motoko said.

"Really now?" Komachi asked. Suddenly, Naru started laughing. "What's wrong? Is…Urashima lying?" she asked. Keitaro mentally sighed. _She sounds exactly like Motoko…_ he thought sadly. _Why do people hate me so?_

"No, of course not," Keitaro said.

"Good, I'd hate for anything bad to happen to you, Motoko-chan," Komachi said.

"Nothing bad has happened!" Keitaro said. Komachi peered at all the residents and around the room. Nothing seemed…out of order.

"Seems okay Motoko-chan. But I want to know more about…him," Komachi said, pointing to Motoko. Motoko was worried. _Perhaps the only way to get Komachi-chan away is to tell her the truth! But, would she believe me?_

"Therefore, I'll be staying over tonight to determine the discipline of that man," Komachi said.

"Oh oh, me too!" Sakura said.

"Yay! More people!" Su said.

"WHAATT?!!" Keitaro shouted, his jaw dropping.

"Au! I have to cook more now!" Shinobu said, and she ran into the kitchen.

"Who is that girl?" Komachi asked.

"Oh, that's Shinobu! She makes really good food!" Su said.

"You know, Komachi, you should be nicer," Sakura said. She poked Motoko in the belly. "He's not that bad!"

"S-sakura-chan!" Keitaro yelped. "Don't say that!"

"That's right, Sakura-chan, he's a lecherous perverted male!" Komachi said. Motoko's angry vein popped up. _Grr…she' right, but only because Urashima is a pervert! If only I was myself, this wouldn't be happening!_ Motoko thought. Kitsune's eyes raised in question.

"Sakura…chan, eh?" she asked.

"Yes?" Sakura answered.

"I'm Konno Mitsune, but my nickname is Kitsune," Kitsune said, coming up and shaking hands. "I have to tell you something…" Kitsune lead Sakura away.

"That's final, we'll have to stay here tonight," Komachi said.

"What's final? Wh-Why are you suddenly saying that?" Keitaro stuttered.

"There's just something wrong in here. I intend to find out what it is," Komachi said. Keitaro sighed. _Not another problem to deal with,_ he thought.

"Food's ready!" Shinobu called out.

"FOOD!" Su cried, and she jumped into the kitchen. Keitaro walked towards the kitchen dragging his feet.

"Hey, get up!" Komachi said, and she slapped Keitaro on the back. While with Motoko this would have gotten her to go faster, Keitaro instead flew forward and landed on Naru.

"P-pervert!!!!!!" Naru shouted, not able to withhold herself.

"DIE!!" Motoko shouted, not able to contain herself either. "ROCK SPLITTING TECHNIQUE!!" **WOOSH!! BAAAM!!!**

"Aiieeeeee!" Keitaro shouted. Komachi was very very confused. She was frozen in shock, not able to decipher what had happened. _Okay, so two girls bumped into each other, why is one a pervert? And how does that man, Urashima, know Motoko's special move? Even the best of the best at the kendo club don't know how to perform that move! Perhaps he isn't spineless after all…wait, where is Motoko-chan?!_

"Aiieeee!" Keitaro shrieked, falling back down from the ceiling and slamming into the ground. **BAAAM!!!**

"Motoko-chan!" Komachi cried, running over. Kitsune and Sakura came back from wherever they had been. Sakura was giggling.

"Ow…" Keitaro groaned. He got up just as Komachi reached his position and they crashed. **BONK!** Down they both went, Keitaro and Komachi on the ground.

"Mo-chan!! Komi-chan!" Sakura ran to them. They were both unconscious.

::After Dinner::

Everyone had eventually made it to the dinner table and eaten something. Su grabbed a big portion of Keitaro's meal, but otherwise nothing big happened. Su had retired to her room to invent things, Shinobu had gone to do homework, and Naru, Motoko, Keitaro, and Komachi were sitting in the living room. Kitsune was off somewhere with Sakura, "poisoning the young woman's mind" as Motoko had said during dinner.

"So…Urashima, I couldn't help but notice the Rock Splitting Technique you performed earlier," Komachi began. "A move that is only known to Motoko-chan over here…how is it possible that you know it?"

"Oh…well, you see, err…Motoko taught me," Motoko said, not very convincingly.

"It is true that Motoko is a good teacher, but why would she teach you?" Komachi asked. "She hasn't taught anyone else in the Kendo Club."

"That's because she's shown more aptitude for it than others!" Keitaro quickly interjected.

"'She'? Don't you mean he?" Komachi asked.

"Idiot!" Naru said, and she threw a pillow at Keitaro. **POOF!** It landed in Keitaro's face.

"Sorry, sorry," Keitaro apologized. He had forgotten. _First I have to learn to call a guy she, then I have to go back to he. It's all very confusing,_ Keitaro thought.

"Oh well, I feel like a bath," Komachi said. "Is there one?"

"Actually there's a hot springs!" Kitsune said, entering the room with Sakura who was holding something…suspicious.

"Hot Springs?!" Komachi said. "I love hot springs! Motoko-chan, let's go right now!" Komachi grabbed Keitaro and dragged him in the direction of the hot springs.

"Hey!! Wait!" Motoko yelled. She would not let her best friend be seen in the nude by the likes of Urashima!! _ No, this would be a most immoral act!!_ Motoko thought.

"What?" Komachi asked.

"You, ah, don't realize we have a schedule!" Motoko said.

"Oh?" Kitsune asked. "This is the first time I've heard of it." _What is Kitsune doing? Trying to plague my best friend? NO! She'll ruin me! I'm sure the perverted Urashima is glad!_ Motoko angrily thought.

"Komachi, err, I already took a bath!" Keitaro said.

"When? When you were unconscious this afternoon?" Komachi said. "Fine, I can see that you don't want to take a bath, but I'm going!" Komachi stomped away down the hall as Kitsune's faced dropped.

"Hey, what was that all about?!" Kitsune muttered angrily as soon as Komachi rounded the corner.

"What are you talking about?" Naru said. "Don't be a dirty old pervert! Were you trying to get Keitaro here to bathe with Komachi-chan?"

"Of course not! Just merely far enough!" Kitsune denied.

"Kitsune, I don't want you to do that ever again to my friends! What would Urashima do if he saw her?!"

"What else would a man do?" Kitsune asked, now beginning to get playful.

"Kitsune!" Keitaro complained. "I wouldn't do anything!"

"Oh…but you're a man….and you know men, they can't help it sometimes…" Kitsune said softly.

"Listen! Just because I happen to be Urashima right now does not mean you can get away with these things!!!" Motoko bellowed. "If I wasn't Urashima, this would've never happened!" **GASP!!** Motoko heard something and saw a glimpse of someone running away.

"Who was that?" Keitaro asked.

"Who else would gasp like that, idiot?" Naru shouted, running after the person.

"Wait! Hold up!" Motoko shouted. She also ran after the person.

"Wait, I'm really confused, who was that?" Keitaro asked Kitsune the only person left.

"Oh, I think it was Komachi," Kitsune said, nonchalantly. She walked back to the living room, up the flight of stairs, and to her room.

"I think that I'm in deeeeeep trouble now," Keitaro moaned.

A/N: Alright, chapter five is done! Kaput! Finished! I hope you enjoyed reading it, but I don't know if Komachi should learn of the switch. Do you guys think she should? Perhaps just for laughs, she should…I just realized I released three chapters (to different stories) within a week! Or at least, almost a week! Wow, how much free time had I had? Please R&R!!


	6. Ai Yai Yai! The Secret Revealed

Harmony of One

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina, any of its characters, or any thing Love Hina-ish. Ken Akamatsu does. So thank him for creating this awesome manga series.

A/N: Chapter six…and yes, Komachi will learn of Keitaro's and Motoko's switch. But I'll have a little fun first…heh heh. Please RR!

"…" Denotes speech

_Italics_ Denotes thought

**Bold** Denotes sound effects

Certain Sounds:

**GOOMPH! **Means Fainting

**DOOONG!** Means Shock

:blah: Denotes time/time change

- Denotes scene/scene change

Denotes daydreams and sleeping dreams

Chapter 6: Ai yai yai! The Secret Revealed!

"Komachi!" Naru and Motoko yelled, running down the hallway that led to the stairs.

"Komachi-chan!" Keitaro called, catching up to Naru and Motoko. A figure retreated in the distance and ran up to the second floor of the Hinata-sou.

"Darn it, I'm too sore from Urashima's weak body," Motoko hissed.

"Sorry," Keitaro said. They continued running up the stairs until the reached the second floor. They saw a figure run into Naru's room. **SLAM!**

"Hey! That's my room!" Naru exclaimed. They reached it and struggled to open the door. **RATTLE!** It was locked. "My room doesn't even have a lock!"

"Here, I'll go from my room and enter. You guys stay here," Keitaro said, and he left. A silence ensued, and Naru and Motoko just stood there, not sure what to say. Naru cleared her throat.

"So…what's going to happen if she knows?" Naru asked quietly.

"She won't. Even if she heard us, we will deny it. I know she won't be able to function if she knew the truth," Motoko said. Suddenly there was a scream and the door in front of them opened. **SLIDE!** Komachi tried to run out, but was caught by Motoko easily by the collar.

"H-hey you jellyfish! LET GO!" Komachi yelled. It didn't work.

"Komachi-chan, why are you running away?" Keitaro asked, coming through the hole. Komachi stopped struggling and started to speak.

"Well…I heard Urashima say…though it seems preposterous…that Motoko-chan was really Urashima, and that you must be Urashima in Motoko-chan's body!" Komachi said haltingly. "Of course, that's wrong, now that I say it, it's ridiculous."

"Of course it is, Komachi," Motoko said.

"Hey! I was talking to Motoko-chan!" Komachi said.

"It's true, we were just practicing for a play," Keitaro said. Komachi turned around while Motoko glared at him from behind Komachi. _A play?_ Motoko thought. _Can he get any more stupid?_

"A play?" Komachi said, now even more suspicious than she was a while ago.

"Yeah, but it, uh, was a failure, so we stopped it," Keitaro said, lying even more lamely. "Anyways, where were we?"

"I was going to take a bath…" Komachi said. "I've got it!"

"Got what?" Naru asked, almost scared.

"Motoko-chan, let's take a bath together to prove you are Motoko-chan!" Komachi said. _ERRKKK!_ Keitaro thought. He managed to not visualize what would happen, and luckily his nose didn't start bleeding. However, he could not say it would stay that way…

"Ah, that's not a good idea, Komachi," Naru said.

"Why not?" Komachi asked. "Unless Motoko-chan is really in **that** body." Komachi pointed to Motoko, currently inhabiting Keitaro's body. Naru turned around and lifted her hands in frustration, making the motion "it's all up to you guys."

"No, Motoko is herself," Motoko said, crossing her fingers.

"Eh?" Keitaro responded.

"Great! I love hot springs, let's go Motoko-chan!" Komachi said. As they walked down Motoko muttered something to Keitaro.

"You'd had better be respectable and don't **do** anything. I want Komachi to be kept pure!" Motoko growled.

"I wouldn't do anything to the contrary!" Keitaro said. "Don't worry, Motoko. Your friend is my friend." Motoko for some reason actually felt reassured. They went down the flight of stairs and ended up in front of the changing room. They paused.

"Let's go!" Komachi said, and she grabbed Keitaro and dragged him inside while Keitaro showed Motoko a thumbs up.

"You're going to trust him in there alone?" Naru asked.

"Yes," Motoko said. "But you're going to go in there and tell me what happens."

"What! Komachi already doesn't like me because I called you an idiot," Naru said. "And I don't want to be naked in front of **that** pervert!"

"Naru-sempai, please?" Motoko asked.

"Well…" Naru said. "Only this once."

-Hinata-sou Open Air Bath-

**Splash!** Komachi slid into the hot water slowly, sighing as she did so.

"Ahhh, it feels so good after a tiring day," she said. Keitaro meanwhile was shaking nervously but slid in slowly too. _It does feel good. Since I don't get to come in here very often, I should enjoy it,_ Keitaro thought. He closed his eyes and relaxed, his nervousness going away. He actually stopped shaking. _This will be a good way to bathe without seeing anything. All I must do is keep my eyes closed. _Keitaro also remembered that if he even looked at himself, Motoko would kill him for peeking. It would probably involve a very painful technique, too. **Splash!**

"Oh, Naru, greetings," Komachi said. Keitaro suddenly stiffened. _Narusegawa came in? Oh no oh no, I'm dead!_

"And how are you, Komachi-chan?" Naru asked.

"I'm fine," Komachi said. Keitaro kept his eyes closed tight. Suddenly he felt someone grab his arm. _Do not look, do not look…_ he chanted to himself.

"Motoko-chan, can you wash my back?" Komachi asked. Keitaro tried, but he could not help it. He formed an image in his mind about the situation and immediately his nose started to spurt blood.

"Acck!" he cried, and to make a pretense of why his nose was bleeding, he hit his head purposely on the rocks. _Otherwise Komachi-chan will know I'm a guy!_ Keitaro thought worried.

"Motoko-chan!" Komachi exclaimed.

"Motoko!" Naru shouted as well. Keitaro turned around laughing.

"Hah hah, I'm okay," he said, forgetting to keep his eyes closed for a moment. Komachi and Naru were standing there in front him, basically in the buff except that Naru was wearing a towel, which still didn't cover much because it was wet from being in the water. "Eep!" Keitaro squeaked, putting his hand over his nose. Somehow he was able to hold all the blood in.

"Motoko-chan?" Komachi asked. Keitaro turned back around and washed away the blood in the water. (A/N: Yuck!) Komachi tapped him on the shoulder.

"Y-yes, Komachi-chan?" Keitaro answered.

"Here," she said, and Komachi handed Keitaro a towel. _At least she'll be turned around,_ Keitaro thought, and she was when Keitaro turned around. But Keitaro was still nervous as he went closer to Komachi's back. He hadn't actually seen a girl this naked this close nor actually touched a girl's back, or at least not on purpose. His hands were shaking when he finally started to wash. "Hey, you need to be firmer, otherwise you won't get the dirt off," Komachi said. Keitaro was having a hard time, since he was leaning back as far as possible while trying to wash her back. He managed to do it, and finally Komachi told him he was done.

"That's enough," Komachi said. Keitaro mentally wiped his forehead in relief and sat back down, remembering to turn around and close his eyes.

"Eeeek!" Keitaro uncharacteristically shrieked when he felt someone washing his back.

"What is wrong, Motoko-chan? I am merely returning the favor," Komachi said, scrubbing. Keitaro blushed red and didn't answer. He could feel the heat of a glare from behind him and guessed accurately Naru must have been staring angrily at him.

_That perv! Look at how he's smiling!_ Naru thought, even though she really couldn't see whether he was smiling, because in reality he was nervous. _Ooo, I bet he loves it that PERVERT! If he makes even one move towards any of Motoko's friends…_

"Mo-chan!♥" Keitaro turned around and immediately wished he hadn't. Sakura and Kitsune were walking towards him, both wearing towels but it was not enough for poor Keitaro's mind.

"Acck!" he cried once again, and this time dived under the water where it was burning hot. "YEOW!" he cried, not actually expecting it to be so hot and jumping off he caused Komachi to fall backwards, though she only drifted due to her reflexes. Keitaro just shut his eyes and didn't look anywhere.

"Mo-chan!" Sakura cried again. She jumped and hung on to him, pressing two squishy things against his back. Keitaro blushed the deepest shade of red ever seen on anyone.

"Ah…" Naru stuttered. "Sakura-chan, perhaps you shouldn't hang on like that…"

"Of course I should!" Sakura said, and she stuck out her tongue at Naru, which surprised and slightly annoyed her. _Who is she? Why is Keitaro so intimate with her? Grrrr…_ she complained to herself. Kitsune came in and sat down by Naru.

"Hey you," she greeted. Naru however, was still fuming. "Hey!"

"Huh?" Naru asked, not really paying attention. Sakura was still hanging on to Keitaro and generally bothering him.

"What's up?" Kitsune said.

"How come you guys came in? You know, with that pervert around, you'll never know what will happen!" Naru said, irritated to her very core. She turned back to watching Sakura and Keitaro, who were occasionally interrupted by Komachi.

"You're just jealous," Kitsune said, smiling like she does, which is to say slyly like a fox.

"Jealous? Me? What!" Naru asked in fury. "I am NOT jealous." She made a "hmmph!" sound and crossed her arms in defiance while turning back to watch the trio. Kitsune smiled again.

"So why is there steam coming from your ears?" she asked.

"There is no steam!" Naru snapped. Kitsune giggled.

"Ooo, angry and defensive now, eh? Obviously a sign of jealousy!" Kitsune said.

"No! It's not, I mean, just look at Sakura! She seems like she's trying to tease Keitaro like she knows it's him!" Naru said, pointing at them, exasperated. Indeed it might be that way, since Sakura kept on leaning on him with her chest, and "accidentally" brushing his hands on her breasts.

"That's because she does know it's a guy," Kitsune said, offhandly.

"WHAT!" Naru shouted. She turned towards Sakura and Keitaro.

"Mo-chan, can you wash my back," she asked with a seducing smile on her face.

"Uh…" Keitaro stuttered, and he nervously grabbed a cloth.

"Are you JOKING ME!" Naru shouted at Kitsune who was cringing but giggling at the same time.

"Scrub harder, Mo-chan, you're barely doing anything at all," Sakura said, giggling. Keitaro didn't hear the giggle. He leaned slightly forward, when he tripped (on goodness knows what, he's in the hot springs) and fell on top of Sakura.

"Sakura! Pervert!" Naru exclaimed, mistaking the trip for a perverted attack. "YOU IDIOTIC PERVERT! DIE!" she shouted, and hit Keitaro (A/N: Try to imagine Motoko's body) into the starry sky.

"Aieeeeee!" Keitaro screamed as he felt the connection. **BAAAAAM!** Naru stood there, a vein twitching on her forehead. Kitsune and Sakura giggled while Komachi cleared her throat.

"So," Komachi said, watching Keitaro blink out of sight. "You guys lied."

"Uh…" Naru said, sweat-dropping.

-Hinata-sou Living Room-

Most of the Hinata-sou residents were sitting on a couch, except for Keitaro who was standing in front of everyone, shaking from fear, and Shinobu who …somewhere, but she was purposely avoiding this confrontation.

"So, it is true that Motoko-chan has transferred into this, this Urashima's body!" Komachi demanded to know, gesturing from Motoko to Keitaro.

"Yes, it is true," Naru said. Komachi glared.

"I am sorry for this deception, Komachi-chan," Motoko said. "But I thought you would not believe it nor accept it." Komachi went over to Motoko.

"Motoko-chan, of course I could accept it," she said. "But how can you let a man, especially a man like Urashima inhabit your body?"

"But he's cute!" Sakura said, turning around from playing with Su.

"Sakura-chan, stop it!" Komachi demanded. "He is like an evil demon inhabiting Motoko-chan's body! With that body he could even peep on…eep!" Komachi squeaked. "You…you perverted male! YOU SAW ME UNCLOTHED! SEVERAL TIMES, EVEN! YOU DESERVE TO DIE! COME HERE!"

"Waaah!" Keitaro cried, afraid for his life. Komachi whipped out a sword and swung. **SWOOSH!** **BAM!** A wave of ki slammed into Keitaro and he face-planted into the ground.

"Hah!" Komachi said, sheathing her sword.

"Ow…" Keitaro said, standing up. "That might leave a scar."

"WHAT! You're still conscious!" Komachi asked.

"Yeah, for some reason he's invincible, and that seemed to have kept with him when he changed bodies," Naru said.

"Hmmph!" Komachi said. "You are a perverted male and that is it!" Komachi left the room. A pause ensued.

"Well, that went well," Kitsune said.

"Well! WELL!" Keitaro asked, getting angry. "She hit me! She hates me! AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" Keitaro said, pointing an accusatory finger at Kitsune.

"Hey, it's not like you would've kept it a secret anyways," Kitsune said.

"OF COURSE I WOULD HAVE!" Keitaro yelled.

"Keitaro, you're so loud," Su said. She and Sakura were playing a video game, or at least Su was trying to teach Sakura how to play a very new popular game – Katamari Damacy (A/N: This is the new popular in America Japanese where all it entails is you rolling a ball around, collecting stuff and getting bigger and bigger. It seems dumb, but apparently it's a really fun game. And I don't have anything to do with it other than mentioning it)

"I still don't get it," Sakura pouted.

"No, you have to roll the ball into smaller objects before you can get bigger ones," Su said.

"Su! This is slightly more important than teaching Sakura a stupid video game!" Keitaro yelled. He had dropped all the "chan" suffixes at the notion that they might find him obnoxious. In fact, would Komachi even let him use her first name any more? _Perhaps she'll come back and demand that I call her Iida-san now,_ Keitaro thought wearily. His whole demeanor become sad and his face drooped.

"?" Sakura asked. She put down the controller and walked over to Keitaro. "Don't be so sad!" She shouted, tackling him.

"What! Get off!" Keitaro said, surprise. _Who is this girl? Another Su? Isn't she in high school already?_ Keitaro thought.

"I'm going to make you laugh since you're so sad," Sakura said, and immediately started to tickle him.

"Waaah!" Keitaro yelped, and he started laughing hard. He was writhing on the floor in complete agony from his laughter. "Haahaahahahaaheeelp!" he cried. Naru, Kitsune, and Motoko stood there frozen for a moment. Kitsune was mentally congratulation herself for training Sakura so well, Motoko and Naru were angry for different reasons, Motoko angry that Sakura was being so close to Keitaro and Naru angry for…well, for Keitaro reacting like anyone would.

"Sakura-chan!" Motoko yelled.

"Eh?" Sakura asked, halting her attack. Keitaro breathed heavily, thankful of the pause.

"Get off that pervert before—" Motoko began but didn't finish as Komachi came in and, as expected, assumed the "vile lecherous male" was taking advantage of her friend – again.

"Why, I'm only gone for several seconds and you…you do THIS!" Komachi shouted, pointing at them, clearly not seeing the fact that Sakura was the one on top. She walked over as she said this.

"DIE!" she bellowed, and she swung down.

"Yipes!" Sakura squeaked, jumping off and letting Keitaro take the brunt of the attack. **BAM!** Keitaro was hit and he cracked the floor, making a Keitaro shaped hole in it. Komachi sheathed her sword once again. Motoko looked on, actually feeling sorry for Keitaro. _Wait, is it like this whenever I hit him? Do I rush in and jump to conclusions?_ Motoko thought in horror. She didn't want to be known as rash, but calm and intelligent, especially by Urashima.

"Ow…" Keitaro moaned, rolling out of his pot hole in the floor. Komachi spun around.

"You're still conscious? Again!" she asked, whipping out her sword.

"Ah! Don't kill me!" Keitaro cried in fear.

"Komachi-chan, please stop!" Motoko asked.

"Yeah, Komi-chan!" Sakura agreed.

"Sakura-chan…" Komachi growled.

"No, Komachi-chan, this time you simply over reacted, like any good human being would have done, but it was really Sakura-chan, err…tickling Keitaro…" Motoko said, stuttering at the end because she realized she sounded ridiculous.

"Tickling," Komachi stated again. Motoko nodded her head.

"Isn't that right, Sakura-chan?" she asked.

"Yes, of course, Mo-chan!" Sakura said with her usual enthusiasm. Shinobu appeared.

"S-sempai?" she asked. "Err…do you want some food for lunch tomorrow?"

"Oh, ah, sure…" Keitaro said.

"That's right, school!" Komachi said. "Of course I had imagined that we would have time to do homework—"

"Well, let's do it now," Keitaro said. "Err…Komachi."

"Komachi? You are not allowed to say that! Iida-san is more proper, since we've only known each other for a day," Komachi said. _I knew it!_ Keitaro cried.

"But let us do it," Komachi said, bringing out her backpack and work.

-Keitaro's Room-

:Later:

They had finally finished their work, Keitaro not being the total idiot he usually was at anything academic, as he had been studying for a long time now and knew how to study. Well, in theory, at least.

"Do you get it now?" Komachi asked. Sakura had finished a couple minutes ago and was looking for Su.

"Yes," Keitaro said.

"Are you sure? You're English isn't that good, you know, for being a third year ronnin," Komachi said. She had heard about Keitaro's history.

"Did you have to bring that up?" Keitaro asked pathetically.

"Yes," Komachi said. She had had a surprisingly good time finishing her homework. What this means is that she enjoyed it more than she thought she would, since it was with a guy. _Though the guise of Motoko-chan's body often deceives me,_ Komachi thought. She watched Keitaro scribble down some more stuff.

"What are you doing?" Komachi asked finally.

"Well, I also have to study for my Todai exams, next week, when Su returns me back to my own body," Keitaro said. He continued writing down stuff, then turned around to face Komachi. "I usually do it with Narusegawa, but right now she has to teach Motoko how to do it, so she can do the practice tests. Right now I'm brushing up on Calculus. These inverse trig function integrals are a devil of a problem, you see they—"

"I didn't ask for a long winded explanation!" Komachi shouted.

"Sorry," Keitaro said. He turned back around. _Still, I didn't know this Urashima was capable of such a thing. That seems like a lot of work,_ Komachi thought. _He may have a spine after all._ Komachi continued watching, and a smile crept onto her face. Keitaro paused, then flipped to a different section in his book, and wrote something more down. _Hmm…_ Komachi thought.

"Komi-chan, I was wondering…" Sakura started, coming in, but no one noticed her and Komachi didn't respond. "Eh?" Sakura looked at Komachi, who was smiling oddly. _She usually only smiles like that when we're having lots of fun, Mo-chan and all of us together. What's wrong? Perhaps she forgot Mo-chan was cute Keitaro-kun?_

"Oh, hi Sakura…err, yeah, hi," Keitaro said.

"Oh, you can call me Sakura-chan if you want to, Keitaro-kun," Sakura said with an innocent smile on her face.

"Ah, uh, yeah, err, Sakura-ch-chan," Keitaro said, flustered a bit. The only person who liked to use the "kun" suffix was Mutsumi and Seta. And then Mutsumi attached it too his nickname when they were young and could only pronounce short syllables, like "Kei" or "Na" or "Mu." Komachi snapped out of her smile.

"Sakura-chan, you should not let him say that!" Komachi said. "You shouldn't let men use the "chan" suffix so easily!"

"Why not?" Sakura said, putting a pout on her face.

"Be-because so! What has he done for you?" Komachi asked.

"Well he saved me before from that Judo guy," Sakura said.

"True…hey, how did you do that move, if you weren't Motoko-chan, Urashima?" Komachi asked.

"Err…I don't know," Keitaro said, laughing in his typical manner with a hand behind his head.

"Idiot," Komachi said. "Anyways, goodnight Urashima." Komachi headed towards the door.

"Err, Iida-s-san…" Keitaro asked. He wanted something from her really bad, because without it and the way things were going, he might get into a lot more trouble than he was in currently. _And if I don't seem serious, she might not say yes. How shall I do it? _Keitaro thought nervously. _I know…_

"Yes?" Komachi said, spinning around. Sakura watched with her finger in her mouth. Keitaro suddenly bowed down before Komachi and spoke.

"I request your assistance so Motoko can still retain her reputation at school."

Shock registered on Komachi's face, though Keitaro could not see it. Her mouth opened and closed several times, but nothing came out. _Why can't I speak?_ Komachi wondered. She shook her head, her short black hair waving silently. _Didn't work,_ Komachi thought. Sakura was quiet – and quite interested in Komachi's reaction, because it hadn't happened before. Keitaro was thinking, _Why isn't she saying anything? Was it wrong to do this? Uh oh, she might hurt me! Too late to back out now, too late…_

Komachi finally cleared her throat. **Ahem!** "Uh, y-y-yes," she managed to stutter. She coughed again and looked away. "Uh, stand up, please." She never had anyone bowing before her and was rightly embarrassed. _Perhaps he has the makings of a man._ Keitaro was also slightly embarrassed, since he had never begged quite that much, or formally, for that matter. "Of course you need my help to, uh, maintain Motoko's reputation." Keitaro opened his mouth as if to speak, but was interrupted by Sakura.

"EEEEEKK!" She cried.

"Sakura-chan?" Keitaro and Komachi both shouted in worry at once.

"Co-co-co-COCKROACH!" She shrieked, pointing. Keitaro looked, and saw at once a monstrous cockroach.

"Aieeee!" Keitaro shrieked, and he dived into the closet and brought out bug spray. His hand shook as he aimed for the bug. **BZZZ!** The cockroach flew and landed on Keitaro's face. "Aieeeee! Get it off, get it off!" he shouted. _I take that back. Urashima is a spineless jellyfish,_ Komachi thought. Suddenly Komachi heard a very familiar cry.

"ROCK SPLITTING TECHNIQUE!" Motoko yelled, busting into Keitaro's room and slicing. **BAM!**

"Aieeeeeeee!" Keitaro screamed once again, and he flew out his window, making a rather large hole in the process. The cockroach followed and flew out the window lazily.

"Sakura-chan, are you okay? Did Urashima attack you?" Motoko asked.

"Is the cockroach gone?" Sakura asked timidly.

"Yes, there is nothing to be afraid about," Motoko said.

"Phew! Ah…no, actually I was just scared of the cockroach…" Sakura said.

"Oh," Motoko responded. She turned to Komachi. "Nothing happened, right?" Komachi, however was looking through the hole.

"Will Urashima survive?" she asked.

"Yes, somehow he's invincible," Motoko answered.

"Aren't you afraid that you're hurting your own body?" Komachi asked. Motoko sighed.

"Yes, but I'm afraid that protecting people from his perverseness is more important. When I am in control again, then I will be okay. His body," Motoko said, showing Komachi, "Is in prime condition from the beatings I usually give him, except for the fact he has no muscle on him. Oh, I meant to ask you, will you wish to train with us tomorrow morning?"

"Us?" Komachi asked.

"Yes, unfortunately I have to force Urashima to practice so my body doesn't degenerate in to fat. Plus, if he learns any kendo skill, he'll be better prepared to take on other people in school, especially Hiaski and Co."

"Agreed," Komachi said.

"And learning Kendo is always good for the soul, a week of waking up can't hurt him," Motoko said.

"You both mention a week. How do you know you will change back?" Komachi asked.

"That's because of Su!" Sakura interjected. "She's a crazy inventor! I'm sure she can invent a mind switching machine!"

"Ah," Komachi said. "Is this accurate?"

"Well, it was her electronics in the first place that caused it, so hopefully after this week we'll all survive," Motoko said. "By the way, could you, ah, you know, look out for him? He's a big loser, dumb, and clumsy in every possible way, so any assistance you can give to deflect his natural state to preserve my honor will be greatly appreciated."

"Yes, he, ah, has already asked," Komachi said, turning slightly red. "Very politely, too."

"Oh?" Motoko asked, intrigued. Her face lit up, curious. "Polite?"

"Yeah, Keitaro-kun bowed down before Komachi and even "requested" her help!" Sakura joyously said.

"Really," Motoko said. _He's never bowed before me before,_ she thought. _Wait, why would I need him to do that?_

"Uh, yeah…" Komachi said, coughing to draw attention away from herself.

"Well, then, good night, Komachi-chan," Motoko said, and she left. Komachi and Sakura started to pack their things, since it was all splayed out in Keitaro's room. Keitaro finally came back, a slight limp apparent.

"Ah, Iida-san," Keitaro greeted. "And Sakura-chan also."

"Keitaro-kun!" Sakura greeted back, and she ran over to him jumping on him.

"Ack! Sakura-chan, your hair is too long!" Keitaro complained, her hair getting into his face and blocking his vision. He was also blushing slightly.

Sakura took a lock into her hand and nuzzled against it. "Isn't it pretty? It's so brown and silky smooth and—"

"Sakura-chan, get off him right now! That is not Motoko-chan," Komachi ordered.

"Awww…you're such a spoil-sport," Sakura moaned. She jumped off Keitaro. "Well, I'll see ya tomorrow!" she said waving and leaving with her stuff. Komachi lugged her backpack onto her shoulder.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning, bright and early, Urashima," Komachi said. "You had better be prepared for a good training session." She left. Keitaro felt an inexpressible urge to run away from this morning session. _But, after all, I just asked for assistance. I can't not do it and seem like I don't keep my promises,_ Keitaro said. He hated scum that lie like that the worst. It caused him anger. He pulled out his futon and went to bed. He did not fall asleep immediately, but instead thought about the past events of the day. _Tomorrow will be worse,_ he thought nervously. _But, perhaps with help it'll be better. Komachi-chan seemed like she would go along…oops, I guess it's Iida-san now._ Keitaro mentally reflected that it was like there were two Motokos in the house now. _And of course, they're both really pretty…_ Keitaro fell asleep with that thought.

A/N: Sorry, guys, but this is a shorter chapter because I just got an idea for a good Naruto story that I'm bursting inside to write. If any of you actually read my other Love Hina story in progress right now (or even care), but that will take a place on the backburner for now, because this Naruto idea seems very interesting. But this story (since I think it is the better of the two Love Hina stories) will keep on with the every other week (usually…hehe I actually don't know if I keep this up) update. Please RR!


	7. Su’s Mind Switching Device – Mayhem!

Harmony of One

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina, any of its characters, or any thing Love Hina-ish. Ken Akamatsu does. So thank him for creating this awesome manga series.

A/N: Chapter 7 is slow, because I was reading all 38 volumes of Ranma 1/2, which is very good though it contains a rather unsatisfying ending. Grr…stupid Ranma…

"…" Denotes speech

_Italics_ Denotes thought

**Bold** Denotes sound effects

Certain Sounds:

**GOOMPH! **Means Fainting

**DOOONG!** Means Shock

:blah: Denotes time/time change

Denotes scene/scene change

Denotes daydreams and sleeping dreams

Chapter 7: Su's Mind Switching Device – Mayhem!

:February 18th, Wednesday, sometime in the morning:

"Hiya!" **CLACK! CLACK! CLACK!**

"Urashima, your footwork is poor," Motoko said. "Komachi-chan, good job." Keitaro grunted. He was battling Komachi who was beating him hands down as practice while Motoko coached. _Curse this,_ he thought.

"Yikes!" he yelped. **CLACK!**

"Urashima, I need a challenge," Komachi taunted. "This is too easy."

"Why you!" Keitaro shouted, angry because he knew it was true. He launched into a flurry of attacks.

"Ooooo, I got him angry," Komachi continued to taunt. Motoko sighed.

"Urashima, that won't ever work," Motoko said. And indeed it was, for Komachi suddenly swung hard from an attack from above and hit his sword into the air. She caught it gently.

"I win. Again," Komachi smiled.

"Arrgh!" Keitaro groaned loudly. He always lost. _Well, it is only my third day,_ his brain rationalized. _But how will I keep up Motoko's reputation?_

"Urashima, that was utterly pathetic," Motoko commented. "But it was a decent job for being such an amateur. You lasted slightly more than three minutes." _Three minutes? That's it?_ Keitaro thought wearily.

"Oh well, better do it again," Motoko said. "Komachi, you judge."

"Motoko-chan is going to battle him? Heh, he won't last more than one minute," Komachi commented.

"You take that back!" Keitaro suddenly yelled.

"Hah, I will if it happens, which it won't!" Komachi retorted. _I'll show her!_ Keitaro thought, clenching his teeth. He gripped his sword tighter and shifted the hakama and gi he was wearing. He did have an advantage – the fact that Motoko's body had more muscle than his own. "Swords ready…begin!" Komachi cried out, raising her hand than slashing it down.

"Hiya!" Motoko raised her sword and swung down, vertically. Keitaro blocked it easily with a horizontal sword. **CLACK! **Motoko struck again, quickly shifting positions and Keitaro could tell that she was testing if he could manage all the basic blocks. _I'll do more than block,_ he told himself. _Attack! _But this was easier said than done. Motoko kept on pressing down, only allowing for a quick defense each time.

"Motoko-chan, it's been half a minute," Komachi called. Motoko only nodded in recognition. _Shoot, now she's attacking harder,_ Keitaro thought, clenching again and only managing barely to keep his feet. **CLACK CLACK CLACK!**

"Fifteen seconds," Komachi said. _Okay, I must press the offensive now,_ Keitaro thought. He tried – he really did. He pushed. He blocked faster, tried to attack. But it was to no avail. Putting up a valiant defense, Motoko suddenly stuck out her foot and tripped Keitaro.

"Woah!" Keitaro cried. Motoko rammed her sword up and Keitaro was hit. **BAAAM!** He flew up…up….then fell back down with a crash. **WHAMMO!** His body was limp as Motoko neared.

"Err…" Komachi stuttered. "Was that necessary?" Motoko didn't answer. "Is he dead?"

"No…" Motoko answered. She had actually not meant to attack him so hard, but in the heat of the moment, she had lost control. Motoko gazed at the sky. "It is almost time for breakfast. Let us bring him inside." They dragged Keitaro's unconscious form inside and lay him on the couch. The clock read 6:50 AM and they could hear Shinobu cooking. They stared at Keitaro's dizzy-eyed body.

"Say, Motoko-chan, do you think you'll get back your body?" Komachi asked.

"I'd better," Motoko responded. They were quiet once again. Komachi again broke the silence.

"If-if you do, ah, change back, can we, that is me and Sakura, can we, you know, ah—"'

"What are you asking, Komachi-chan?" Motoko asked.

"Never mind," Komachi said quickly, turning away and looking down.

"?" Motoko asked herself. Suddenly Keitaro was in Komachi's face.

"Are you okay? Why are you blushing? Is it a cold?" he asked.

"Wha! DIE!" Komachi shouted, punching Keitaro far off into the distance. Motoko was slightly shocked at all this. Komachi was blushing? _Indeed there is a slight flush to her cheeks, but that could be only because she has recently hit Urashima. How did he wake up without us knowing, anyways?_ Motoko thought.

"Breakfast is ready!♥" Shinobu said, coming out of the kitchen to announce this.

"Food? YAY!" Su shouted, appearing from nowhere and flying into the kitchen. **BAAM!** Keitaro landed back on to the couch, unconscious yet again. Motoko sighed.

Kitchen-

:7:00 AM:

"ITADAKIMASU!" Su cried.

"Su, what have we said about waiting?" Naru commented, sweat-dropping.

"Hmmff?" Su questioned, her mouth full.

"Never mind," Naru said. "Say, what happened to you?" Naru asked Keitaro.

"Oh? Heh heh, nothing," Keitaro laughed nervously, like he always did. "I just lost a kendo battle with Motoko."

"Why did you fight her?" Naru asked. "Don't you always lose?"

"Hey! I almost lasted for one minute!" Keitaro protested. There was only the noise of eating as no one spoke what they were thinking.

"That was strangely…pathetic," Kitsune mentioned.

"You try!" Keitaro whined.

"No way!" Kitsune argued. They continued to argue about how a minute was or was not a long time when Sakura entered.

"Ah, I'm sorry I'm late…" she said meekly.

"Sakura-chan!" Su said, swallowing. "Come here, I have to show you something!" Sakura walked over, dressed in her school uniform but Keitaro thought there was something…different about her.

"Is there something wrong, Sakura-chan?" he asked.

"Oh! Err…no," she said softly yet again.

"Are you sure?" Keitaro asked.

"Sakura-chan, if you are unwell, it would be wise to say so," Motoko said. "Sickness is only curable if admitted." Sakura shook her head, then began a conversation with Su. _What's up with her?_ Komachi thought to herself. _Why is she so soft? Did something…no, it couldn't have!_

Everyone finished eating, all thanking Shinobu who only blushed and said "you're welcome" back. Komachi and Sakura ended up waiting in the living room for Keitaro. They sat on the couch.

"I wonder where Keitaro-kun is," Sakura asked nobody in particular.

"He'll be here," Komachi said. She wondered at how school was going to proceed, seeing as she now knew he was a male. **_And yet she was still going to help him._**

Komachi coughed. "Sakura-chan, may I ask if you are really well?" Komachi finally said.

"Ye-yes, I am quite well," Sakura answered. This response alone made Komachi worry, because Sakura never stuttered.

"Let me feel your forehead," Komachi said. Sakura shook her head.

"No, I'm fine, really," she protested as Komachi put her hand to Sakura's forehead. _It seems fine…woah, it all of a sudden got really hot!_ Komachi thought.

"Oh, h-hi, Keitaro-kun…" Sakura said, soft. _What!_

"Hi Sakura-chan, are you better?" Keitaro asked.

"Yes," Sakura answered. Komachi knew exactly what it was now and she was worried. _But it couldn't be…just the other day, she was fine and even if she was like this she wouldn't act so…spineless?_

"That's good," Keitaro said, smiling. Komachi coughed.

"Urashima, you cannot smile so freely, for Motoko-chan never does that and it would ruin her character," Komachi said.

"Oh. So I should make this face?" Keitaro asked, making a frowning face.

"Um…not like that either," Komachi said, sweat-dropping. "A neutral face."

"But what is a neutral face?" Keitaro whined.

"Be stern!" Komachi said. "Intense! Concentrate!" Keitaro furrowed his brows in focus. "Err…now you look like you're constipated," Komachi said.

"Urashima, what are you doing now?" Motoko asked, coming in.

"Practicing," Keitaro said, making various faces while Komachi shouted "no no no!"

"Practicing for what?" Motoko asked, confused.

"I just want to look like what you do but I can't seem to do it…how's this?" Keitaro asked, making another face.

"No!" Komachi and Motoko said at once.

"I give up!" Keitaro said, and he sat on the couch.

"What are we waiting for? Hey, where did Sakura-chan go?" Keitaro questioned.

"Where did she go?" Komachi repeated, looking around. Su walked into the living room.

"I've got something for you!" Su shouted. "Take it!" She threw a coin-sized object at Keitaro.

"Noooooo!" Keitaro yelled in mortal fear and ducked under the couch. It rattled and landed on the floor.

"Um…what is that?" Motoko asked.

"It didn't blow up?" Keitaro wondered.

"It's something for Keitaro! It helps him with his Motoko-reputation!" Su cried.

"What is it?" Komachi asked yet again.

"It replicates Motoko's Rock Splitting Technique, bringing instant defeat to the enemy who it is used upon! I used it before," Su explained.

"Ah, so that's how I did it," Keitaro said. He picked it up. "So I stick it on the sword like this?" he asked, placing it on the sword.

"Yeah, but you can only use it once, then it has to be recharged. Sadly, that's the limit of my capabilities," Su said, frowning.

"You still have time to make this while trying to finish your mind switching device?" Motoko asked, sweat-dropping and smiling at the same time.

"Oh, I'm done with that," Su said.

"WHAT!" Keitaro and Motoko shouted at once.

"Yup!♥" Su said, smiling.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME!" Motoko bellowed.

"Oh, look it's time to go to school, let's go!" Su said, and she skipped out the door.

"Waaaiiitt! Su!" Keitaro cried pathetically, running after her. "Coome baaaaack!"

"Nyah nyah!" Su said, sticking her tongue out.

"Urashima, use the device!" Motoko said.

"Hey, that's right…but, I don't want to hurt anyone…" Keitaro said.

"WEAKLING! JUST DO IT!" Motoko roared.

"Ahhh! All right, don't kill me!" Keitaro whined. _Su, don't die!_ Keitaro thought as he closed his eyes, crossed his fingers, and swung. **WOOOSH!** The wave of ki approached Su…and went right by her.

"You IDIOT! WHY DID YOU HAVE YOUR EYES CLOSED!" Motoko asked in fury.

"Sorry!" Keitaro said, turning his head and not seeing something very important – stairs. "WAAAAAAHHH!" he shouted as he tripped and hit his head on the landing.

"Urashima?" Motoko asked.

Hinata-Sou Living Room-

:8:00 AM:

"Okay, Motoko, I just called your school and told them that you were sick and that several of your classmates are going to take care of you," Naru said.

"What about cram school?" Motoko asked.

"Don't worry about one day," Naru told her. "I wonder where Kitsune is?"

"Oh, probably creating some mischief somewhere," Keitaro said. "Like she always is."

"Why I never have heard such an unfair attack in my life!" Kitsune said, walking down the stairs with her hand on her head. "Oh, what goes on behind my back I can only guess!" she said mellow-dramatically.

"Stop it, you're only embarrassing yourself," Naru said.

"Oh, when will you guys learn that I only do things for your own good?" Kitsune continued, not listening.

"Like that time you peeped on us studying?" Naru asked.

"That was for your memoirs when you guys get married!" Kitsune said.

"WHO SAYS WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!" Naru shouted.

"I've got it!" Su announced, coming in with a weird looking device. It had two helmets, as expected, with wires connected to a mainframe. The huge mainframe box had dials, gizmos, and whatever else. In essence, it was a crazy machine. _Just like Su…_ Keitaro thought wearily.

"Okay, so how does this work?" Motoko asked, getting up and picking up a helmet.

"Hey, that's delicate!" Su protested. She snatched it away. Keitaro, had, however, already picked up the other helmet.

"So do I put it on like this?" Keitaro asked, jamming it on his head.

"No no! You'll break the electronics!" Su cried. She took that away too. "Both of you sit here and here," she ordered. Motoko and Keitaro sat facing each other.

"Urashima, it will be good when I have my own body back."

"Me too," Keitaro said. "At least I won't have to wake up so early ever again!"

"Why not? One so weak as you needs training," Motoko informed him.

"Well, one so weak as me wants to be able to pass my exam in five days!" Keitaro retorted.

"Can you guys keep it down?" Su asked. They fell silent as Su fiddled with the dials and knobs. "Ok, this should work." _Should?_ Keitaro thought. "Everyone stand back." Everyone did indeed back away. If it didn't work, they knew it just might blow up. Even Su backed away.

"Um, Su, who's going to start it if you're that far away too?" Motoko asked.

"Oh, don't worry, I have a remote, see?" Su said, holding up a remote that a only one button on it.

"Heh, at least this thing doesn't self destruct," Keitaro joked.

"Actually, it does," Su answered. Everyone sweat-dropped.

"Just start it already," Naru said, breaking the silence. She pressed the button on the remote and suddenly the machine was alive. It hummed, buzzed, beeped, rattled, and even made some smoke.

"Su? Why is there smoke?" Keitaro asked worried.

"Don't worry!" Su responded. Suddenly, streaks of electricity began reaching out.

"Ah!" Naru shrieked.

"Stay back, if you're not hit then it should be okay! They can only reach this far!" Su said, and she drew an imaginary line. The machine continued sparking and buzzing and making lots of havoc in general. "It's almost complete!" Su shouted over the noise. **BZZ! HUUMMM! BEEP!**

"What's going on?" Sakura asked, coming down the stairs. "What's all the noise?"

"Ah! Sakura-chan, get away!" Komachi shouted.

"What! I can't hear you!" Sakura asked. **ZZAAAAAPOOO!** Suddenly, a huge discharge of electricity flew out and hit Sakura.

"Oh no!" Su cried, along with many others. Suddenly the machine stopped and was silent. Sakura, Keitaro, and Motoko were all not moving and unconscious, as was proven when Shinobu went up to check on each one.

"Are…au, are they dead?" Shinobu asked, scared.

"No…I can feel a pulse," Naru said after checking. They placed Motoko's body on the couch, Sakura's in a chair, and they dragged Keitaro's and left him on the floor.

"Woah that hurt!" Sakura cried, suddenly springing up.

"Sakura-chan!" Komachi exclaimed. "Are you alright?"

"Wait! I'm me again! I'M MEE! WOO HOO HOO!" Sakura started shouting, causing everyone to know it actually wasn't her. Sakura jumped up and down, suddenly stopped. She looked at everyone. "I'm not me, am I?" Sakura asked.

"Who are you?" Naru asked. "At least, who do you think you are?" Sakura seemed not to hear her. She pulled at her school uniform collar and looked down.

"PERVERT!" Naru shouted, knowing who it must be.

"Wait, I was just checking—" Sakura began, but Naru had wound up and slammed her fist into Sakura's face.

"Um…Naru…" Kitsune said as Sakura screamed in pain and landed in a smoking wreak on the wall. "You just punched a high school girl…" But by now, Motoko's body and Keitaro's body got up. Motoko suddenly looked all over herself and breathed in relief.

"I am grateful to have my body back," Motoko commented. "No, wait, I am very happy!" She pumped her arms in delight. Tama-chan who was on Shinobu's head squeaked.

"Myuh!" it said, and it flew over.

"Woo hoo!" Motoko sang, and suddenly grabbed Tama-chan and started dancing in a circle. "Not even Tama-chan can scare me!" Motoko said.

"Myuh!" Tama-chan asked worriedly as Motoko started to spin faster and faster.

"I have my strong body back, yes!" Motoko said, and squeezed Tama-chan.

"Myuh!" Tama-chan responded, nuzzling against Motoko. However, that was too much for poor Motoko and her natural high at being herself again had worn down.

"AHHHH!" Motoko yelled, and threw Tama-chan who was a very confused turtle. It flew and landed on Shinobu's head. Meanwhile, Keitaro's body had gotten up.

"What was that?" he asked. "Huh? Who am I?" Keitaro looked at himself, stood up, walked around, and tugged at his collar too and looked down.

"Sakura-chan, is that you?" Komachi asked.

"Me, but…no, it's me but it's not me!" Keitaro said. Sakura's body (who you should all know by now that it's Keitaro) walked over.

"Jeez do something so small and I get hit so bad," Sakura grumbled.

"Okay, now I'm really confused!" Keitaro whined. "How come I'm…Keitaro-kun?"

"Because you got too close to the brain switching process," Su explained.

"Oh…so Keitaro-kun is me!" Keitaro's body, which everyone knew was Sakura-chan by now, asked suddenly.

"Yes, and we're sorry that you have to endure this…" Naru consoled.

"Oh, it's okay…" Sakura responded. (A/N: It's very confusing, but this is actually Sakura in Keitaro's body. As long as you, the reader, actually knows who it is, then I'll write it like that. So for future reference, I will usually use blank's body when it's the body and you don't know who it is, but without a body you can usually know it's the actual mind of the person.)

"And sadly the vile pervert has seen your…ah…chest…" Naru said.

"Oh!" Sakura squeaked. "It's okay…err…if it's Keitaro-k-kun…" **DOOOOONNNGG!** Everyone was shocked, including Keitaro, who had no idea what this meant. He was the first to speak, actually.

"Err…you sure?" Keitaro asked.

"Yes…" Sakura said meekly again. Komachi was thinking furiously. _How else to explain these weird events? It must be that Sakura-chan really is in—_ Komachi shuddered, though she could not say why, _love with Urashima? How, when?_ Kitsune was smiling while everyone else was speechless. She had a knowing smile on – and Naru caught sight of it before Kitsune spoke.

"Well, it seems someone has caught the eye of a pretty young lass," she said.

"What! I did not!" Keitaro protested, but Motoko broke in.

"Let's switch them back," she said. Sakura and Keitaro went and picked up helmets.

"Round 2!" Su said, and she pushed the button. Again the machine began to hum, buzzing, beeping, and in general making a lot of noise. It sounded like a piano played by the skill of a two-year old – an electric piano, set to different sound sets.

"Myuh?" Tama-chan asked, flying around.

"Oh no, Tama-chan, come back!" Naru shouted. It would be horrible if Tama and Keitaro changed bodies! Tama dodged the random bolts of lightning that flew everywhere while Naru called out.

"Tamaa!" Naru cried.** ZAAAPPOOO!** _Is it too late?_ Naru thought. But Tama had not been hit, instead a couch foot rest had been fried. _Phew,_ Naru thought, and she sighed.

"How much longer?" Shinobu asked. She really wanted Keitaro to be alright again. Tama-chan came and landed on her head again.

"It should be almost done," Su said, checking the clock on the wall.

"Myuh!" Tama cried, and she flew onto Motoko's head.

"Waah! Turtle!" Motoko cried. She jumped around, trying to get the turtle off.

"Watch out, Motoko!" Komachi cried, but it was too late.

"Eh?" Kitsune and Naru asked, falling down as Motoko landed on top of them. Komachi grabbed Motoko when suddenly they heard a sickening sound. **ZAAAAAAPOOO!**

"Auuuuu!" Shinobu cried in horror. The room grew quiet. _Oh no oh no, what should I do?_ Shinobu thought.

"Heh heh, that was a mess, wasn't it, Shinobu?" Su asked, laughing nervously.

"Are…will they live?" Shinobu asked, a finger in her mouth. One by one, they started to stand up.

"Who am I?" Naru's body asked.

"Hold on, I remember that I am Keitaro," Komachi's body said.

"What! I'm in Motoko's body?" Motoko's body complained.

"Okay, everyone, line up!" Su suddenly ordered.

"What?"

"Huh?"

"Just do it!" Su shouted again. They did. It was Keitaro, Motoko, Komachi, Naru, Sakura, and Kitsune.

"Now we will make a list of who each one is," Su said, and she walked up to each one asking who they were and wrote a list. "Here, I'll post it up," she said, and posted it. It read:

_BodyInhabitant_

_KeitaroKitsune_

_MotokoSakura_

_KomachiKeitaro_

_NaruMotoko_

_SakuraNaru_

_KitsuneKomachi_

"Wahh, how are we going to fix this?" Sakura whined. Everyone was thinking the same thing.

"Myuh!" Tama cried, flying about. It landed on Shinobu's head.

"You're a very very naughty turtle," Shinobu scolded it.

"Myuh?" Tama asked. Shinobu waved her finger.

"Huh, so this is what it feels like to be a guy," Kitsune mused. She hit her chest. "Nothing!"

"Kitsune, stop acting so weirdly," Motoko said.

"Well, excuse me Naru, I just have never been a guy before!" Kitsune said.

"I'm Motoko!" Motoko shouted.

"I don't have time to memorize the list," Kitsune told her. "But since I'm Keitaro…do you want to—"

"NO!" Motoko shouted, not letting her finish her sentence.

"Bah, you're such a spoil sport," Kitsune said. Everyone else, meanwhile, was trying to decide how to switch it.

"I've got it!" Su shouted. "This is how we can do it!" She had yet another piece of paper with names written down.

"Su, isn't this overly complicated?" Naru asked.

"You should just follow it, and it is quite simple. First, Keitaro in Komachi's body switches with Kitsune, so Komachi is herself and Keitaro is Kitsune. Then Sakura in Motoko's body switches with Naru, so Sakura is herself and Naru is Motoko. Then if Motoko in Naru's body switches with Kitsune, we can have Komachi and Keitaro and Keitaro and Motoko. Then we finish it off with a Keitaro Motoko switch," Su completed. She looked at all of them who were very confused.

"What?" Keitaro asked. "What happens?"

"Just go!" Su said, ignoring Keitaro and pushed several people forward, and thus followed out her plan. **BEEP! BUZZ! HUMM!**

:Several Tries later:

"Great, now who is who?" Keitaro asked. He was in Shinobu's body and was also very confused. Su, who was in Keitaro's body answered.

"I'm in your body, Keitaro, and it's fun to jump around! Weee!" Su cried.

"At least we haven't jumped into Tama's body," Motoko said. She inhabited Kitsune's body, and shuddered at the thought.

"How did Shinobu even get involved when nobody was mixed with her anyways?" Naru asked, in Keitaro's body. She wasn't happy with that.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, err, Shinobu that I'm in your body," Keitaro apologized.

"Oh! It's okay, um, it was just an accident," Shinobu said. She had gotten Kitsune's body, and was for the first time feeling what it was like to be "big" in that area.

"Okay, we figured it out," Komachi said. She and Sakura had switched bodies.

"We did?" Sakura asked. Komachi gave another diagram to Naru, one that made a lot more sense then the one that Su had written.

"Great, let's do it!" Naru said.

:Yet again, several tries later:

"Well, we are sort of ourselves," Naru said. "Who's still left unchanged?" The forms of Motoko and Kitsune raised their hands.

"Hey, Keitaro, raise your hand!" Motoko's body said.

"What? I am Keitaro!" Keitaro's body responded.

"Don't joke with me?" Motoko's body repeated. "I'm Keitaro!"

"Oh? Prove it!" Keitaro's body said, sticking out his tongue.

"Kitsune, stop joking around," Naru said, sweat-dropping.

"I'm not Kitsune! I'm Keitaro! Urashima Keitaro! Grade A loser Keitaro!" Keitaro's body said.

"Hey! I'm not that dumb!" Motoko said, starting to cry. Komachi tapped Sakura's shoulder.

"That's sure not Motoko-chan," Komachi whispered, giggling a bit, but Sakura still didn't answer. _Huh? Is she **still** like that?_

"KITSUNE!" Naru shouted.

"What?" Keitaro's body replied.

"GO AND SWITCH WITH YOUR OWN BODY!" Naru screamed.

"Ok, geez, make a little joke and you get all in trouble," Kitsune said. She sat on one of the chairs they had brought in and put on a helmet. Motoko sat on the other one.

"Alright, Keitaro, stay away, and keep Tama locked up!" Naru said. She shooed everyone else away into the kitchen, so they couldn't possibly stay away and locked Tama in a cage.

"Myuh!" Tama said, but everyone ignored him. Naru pressed the button. **Hummmmmm…BZZT! ZAAP! SPARK! BEEP BOOP! BZZZTTT! ZAAP!**

"Done?" Naru asked when the noises stopped. Kitsune's body looked at herself.

"Yeah, I'm booring old me. You know, it would have been more productive to be Keitaro," she said.

"Yeah yeah…" Naru said, ignoring Kitsune. "Okay, you two sit down for the final switch." Keitaro and Motoko did.

"Looks like we're back where we started, eh?" Keitaro said.

"Yup," Motoko agreed. "But thank goodness it's almost over."

"Ready?" Naru asked. They both nodded. "Ok!" Naru pressed the button. Nothing.

"What? Did you press it?" Keitaro asked.

"Yes!" Naru said. She pressed again. "Work, darn it!" she muttered as she pressed it again and again.

"Naru, are you sure you pressed it?" Motoko asked.

"YES!" Naru said, exasperated. She pounded the button. "SU!"

"Yah?" Su asked, popping her head into the living room. "What's up?"

"It won't work!" Naru said. Su bounded in and examined the machine.

"Guess it's broken," Su said after examining it carefully.

"WHAT!" Motoko shouted, ripping of her helmet.

"Haha, don't joke about such things," Keitaro said beneath the helmet.

"Nope, it's a goner. Rats, these parts were expensive," Su continued to say.

"S-su…is it true?" Naru asked, hoping for an answer that was not going to come for a long time.

"Nope, it's gone. See? The wires are all corroded and the insulation melted. Darn it, I should have gotten better ones," Su said, scratching her head. "Oh well." She tossed the metal plate with the electronics on it she was holding back. **CLANG!**

"Su…please…" Keitaro said.

"No, it's gone," Su said nonchalantly. "I'll just build it again."

"When will that be done?" Motoko asked.

"No clue," Su said. Keitaro hit the machine.

"Darn it!" he cried in frustration.

"Err…Keitaro, you just hit the self-destruct button," Su said. **BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!**

"What?" Keitaro said.

"MOVE EVERYONE!" Naru shouted, dragging Su and Motoko away. Too bad for poor Keitaro. **KABOOOMM!**

"Aieeeeeeeeee!" Keitaro screamed, his voice disappearing into the morning sky.

"At least that part of the machine works still," Su commented. Everyone sweat-dropped.

Kitchen-

They were very very agitated. Shinobu twiddled her fingers while Naru, Motoko, and Su were discussing – no, arguing about how they can make another machine as soon as possible. Kitsune was talking to Komachi and Sakura.

"I can't! Those parts aren't easily available in the market!" Su said.

"Please, Su, what amount of money do you need?" Motoko asked.

"It's not about the money – I've got lots, see?" Su showed, bringing a wad of bills from nowhere. "It's just the parts need to be assembled custom-made and the company that makes them closes for the spring."

"Spring?" Naru asked. "It's only February!"

"Yeah, but by the time they make them it'll take to spring," Su explained.

"Arrgh!" Motoko growled. She pounded her fist on the table.

"Hey, don't interrupt our conversation!" Kitsune said in mock anger. Naru shifted her chair and turned towards Kitsune. She put on a sarcastic face.

"And what, Kitsune, could you be talking about that is more important than this?" she asked.

"Well, it obviously has to do with love, right Sakura?" Kitsune said, asking Sakura who nodded. "Which is more important by ten times than just waiting for parts to fix a machine."

"It's not just any machine!" Motoko said. "This affects my life directly!" Motoko ripped of her shirt to prove a point. "I don't want this body for several months!" she shouted, pointing to Keitaro's chest.

"Why not?" Kitsune said. Motoko scowled and glared at Kitsune. Kitsune continued. "Well, it seems you can't do anything about it anyways, so if you'll just not pound the table anymore…" Shinobu decided to speak up.

"A-ah, perhaps we can just stop talking about—"

"And this effects everyone here, too, since it involves the only guy in this whole dorm," Kitsune said, not hearing Shinobu.

"Sempai!" Shinobu cried, and was immediately interested.

"What about that idiot?" Naru asked.

"Well…we were just discussing the possibilities of his likes and dislikes including any…you know, people," Kitsune said, smirking now that she had ensnared people into her conversation.

"Of course that idiot would like people, but the chance of anyone actually liking him is a different story," Naru said.

"Se-sempai isn't that bad!" Shinobu exclaimed in her quiet fashion.

"Yeah, I like Keitaro!" Su said, completely content to ignore the fact that her machine had blown up and could not be fixed for a while.

"Su, you like everyone," Naru stated.

"But that has to count for something," Kitsune said.

"I-I also think that Sempai is a very respectable man," Shinobu said.

"What about you, Motoko?" Naru asked.

"M-me?" Motoko asked, not wanting to think about it.

"Oh?" Kitsune asked. "What about you, Motoko?" Motoko looked at them.

"No-nothing, really. Urashima is Urashima," she said.

"That's not good enough," Kitsune said. Naru was slightly taken aback, though. _What happened to perverted lecherous spineless jellyfish?_ She thought. _It can't be that Motoko…nah, it's about as probable as Keitaro becoming a famous genius._

"What?" Motoko asked. She subconsciously wrung her hands beneath the table. "Isn't that what you think, Sakura-chan?"

"Y-yes, Keitaro-kun is himself, but I-I like that self…" Sakura said.

"Oh ho, looks like you have some competition, Shinobu," Kitsune joked, putting her hand over her mouth.

"What! No, I just meant…" Shinobu trailed off.

"Meant what?" Kitsune asked.

"Yeah, what do you mean, Shinobu? Huh huh?" Su asked, bouncing around behind, above, in front, and all around Shinobu.

"I just meant that Sempai is very honorable," Shinobu said firmly.

"That lecher?" Naru asked. She snorted in irony. "Yeah, right." Kitsune turned to Komachi.

"What about you? You just met him, so what do you think about him?" Kitsune asked.

"Me? Ha, well, as you said I just met him so…" Komachi paused. What did she think about Urashima? By all accounts, a man so placed seems like he should be a pervert, though Motoko had never mentioned anything to her about him, probably to prevent such happenings as her coming over. _Motoko probably didn't want us to find out that she had a male landlord in an all-girls dorm,_ Komachi thought. She knew that, however, from her limited contact with him, Urashima seemed honorable. Motoko had last night told her about his clumsiness that often ended in his perversion, but what Komachi saw and what Motoko and Naru probably knew was that it was mainly – at least, most of the time as well as she could figure – due to accidents, though that didn't stop them from being perverted acts. _Honorable? Was he so? He did peep in at the women's locker room!_ Komachi suddenly thought angrily. _But then again,_ her brain interjected by itself, _he didn't want to go in, if I remember correctly._ As Motoko-chan, Komachi could not find a single act in which Urashima acted un-chivalrous. But what did she think about him?

Was it affection? _He works very hard,_ Komachi thought, reminiscing to the memory of Urashima not only working for school, yet studying for hours for his entrance exams and doing Kendo exercises so he might have some skill to keep Motoko's reputation and to a further extent, her honor. Komachi decided that Urashima was a man that she respected, and with a shock she realized he was the first male ever respected besides her father. _He should thank me,_ Komachi fleetingly thought.

"Well, Komachi?" Kitsune asked.

"Eh?" Komachi asked, coming back to reality. "About Urashima? I…I don't know."

"Hmm…" Kitsune said. She made a face at Sakura that intrigued Naru.

"What?" Komachi asked. "I, err, just have not formed an opinion of him yet."

"You seemed to have made one when you first arrived," Kitsune said. "I seem to remember something about a pervert and a jellyfish? Or is that men in general, but Keitaro is different?"

"I-I…" Komachi stuttered. She glanced at Motoko, but Motoko remained emotionless. She didn't want to admit she actually respected him…

"We'll come back to you," Kitsune said. "As for me, Keitaro is someone very special."

"What!" Naru asked, very loud indeed.

"He's my source, my only source," Kitsune continued while Naru drew an angry face, "of personal pleasure." Naru's eye twitched. A vein popped out on her forehead. "He is the only who gives me money," Kitsune finished. Naru fainted.

"Stop fooling around!" she growled.

"It's true!" Kitsune said, holding her hands up in a "surrender" pose. "I can't deny it…but what is he to, you, Naru?"

"M-me?" Naru asked. Kitsune noted that only three people reacted like that. _Only three people who have a possibility of "that"…_ she thought.

"He's just a stupid perverted idiot who happens to be aiming for the same school so we study together, though lately I haven't been," Naru said. _Well, Naru is in the most denial,_ Kitsune snickered to herself. Her ears perked as she thought she heard a door open. _Is Keitaro back? Time to enact the last plan._ She winked three times at Sakura who winked back.

"I really like Keitaro-kun…I-I think he's my fated partner," Sakura suddenly said. _WHAT!_ Komachi thought.

"What!" Motoko asked out loud. "When is…I mean…"

"That's great, Sakura!" Kitsune said. "Since you proclaim it so boldly, it is sure to come true! And no one else here thinks like that, right?"

"That's not true!" Komachi suddenly said. "I like him too!" Suddenly the room grew quiet. Komachi suddenly blushed red.

"Is that true, err, Iida-san?" Keitaro asked from the doorway. Komachi spun around, sputtering.

"I-I…" Komachi stuttered. What did she just say?

A/N: I hope this chapter was okay, especially the last part. But overlying the bad writing, it seems something may have worked. Oh well, I'm sorry for the long update time. Please RR!


	8. Tsuruko Comes Over for a Divination

Harmony of One

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina, any of its characters, or any thing Love Hina-ish. Ken Akamatsu does. So thank him for creating this awesome manga series.

A/N: Chapter 7 must have been more controversial than I thought…because it generated the most reviews! Woo hoo! Okay, several things to do this Author's note. First, is to answer in particular the Anonymous signed Xoni Newcomer. I appreciate your concern and was actually thinking about that. But how many times have "love at first sight" happened in Manga and it's been okay, even if not revealed to the characters themselves? I believe Motoko was struck with this at volume one of Love Hina, so there! Actually, I was worried about that myself, but this is my explanation.

Second, this is a more general thing, but I'll just ask you readers. After posting this and a Ranma one-shot, I got the general idea that I write not so well, in terms of describing things. I may write good dialogue but to much blather. This has actual reasons, and if you care to take a trip in the way I think read on. When I write, I am at the same time imagining what the Manga version of my story would be, if I wasn't such a bad drawer and wanted to use time like that. This is part of the reason why I like to put in sound effects – it's not a book, a work of fiction, but a fan-fiction based of the Manga/Anime which have sound effects in them. Plus this explains my lack of description, though it's more laziness on my part. I have it imagined in my brain and often forget to write down what it looks like complete, though I feel I'm getting better.

Lastly, last chapter was a digressing chapter for fun! Woo hoo, and the pairing…err…you should guess that it will be Motoko and Keitaro…but who really knows? Hahaha…

So the question after this blabbering A/N is should I take out the sound effects? Perhaps they do read better, but I like them as they give a more Manga feel to the fanfic. Anyways, Please R&R!

"…" Denotes speech

_Italics_ Denotes thought

**Bold** Denotes sound effects

Certain Sounds:

**GOOMPH! **Means Fainting

**DOOONG!** Means Shock

:blah: Denotes time/time change

Denotes scene/scene change

Denotes daydreams and sleeping dreams

Chapter 8: Tsuruko Comes Over for a Divination

"That's not true! I like him too!" Komachi shouted. Silence ensued after this comment. If a fly were to be crushed, the noise of its exoskeleton breaking could have been heard. Komachi immediately blushed red.

"I-is that true, err, Iida-san?" Keitaro asked from the doorway. Komachi spun around as fast as possible and started to sputter.

"I…I…" Komachi stuttered. Kitsune snickered and gave a thumbs up sign to Sakura, who returned it. "I…"

"Oh, Keitaro, looks like you're one lucky guy!" Kitsune put in. "Already you have a confession!" Naru, who had been trembling, suddenly spoke.

"NO!" Naru shouted.

"?" Kitsune asked. "What, Naru?"

"Ah…I'm just sure that Komachi meant it a different way!" Naru said, lying pathetically.

"Th-that's right!" Komachi put in. "I just meant that I respect him, that's all!" Kitsune put on a thoughtful look, her hand on her chin. Sakura noticed this while, Motoko looked from Komachi to Keitaro. _What is going on?_ Motoko thought worriedly.

"But that's not fair!" Sakura pouted, breaking the silence that followed that. "I have admired Keitaro-kun a lot longer!"

"A-ah, you both just met him yesterday…" Shinobu said, clearly the only one with the right to say what Sakura had just said. She poked her index fingers together meekly. Kitsune sighed loudly and put her hand over her forehead.

"Oh what a life it is! What torture Keitaro is going through!" she cried, a microphone in hand. "What will he do?" she asked, coming close to Keitaro. "Which girl will she choose? Pretty and charming Sakura? Stern yet beautiful Komachi? What will it be?"

"K-kitsune!" Keitaro shouted, trying to wave her off. Kitsune ignore him and continued.

"Or maybe his heart's on another!" she said, this time with a lavish wave indicating Motoko.

"R-r-rubbish!" Motoko denied.

"Kitsune!" Naru shouted.

"Oh, what a life! What will he do?" Kitsune cried out in fake drama. Keitaro, blushing red, grabbed the mike from Kitsune.

"Hey, I wasn't done!" Kitsune said. Keitaro stomped on it. "Perhaps he doesn't want his predicament spelled out? Poor poor Keitaro!"

"Kitsune!" Naru cried out again.

"Yes?" Kitsune asked, an innocent smile on her face. Motoko, however was the one to speak next.

"Nothing will happen!" she declared loudly, decisively, banging her hand on the table. "I do not allow it!"

"Oh?" Kitsune asked. She raised an eyebrow mischievously, and everyone could see why she earned the nickname of a fox. "Why not?"

"B-because! First of all, Urashima is in my body! Second, if anything would happen, it would complicate things further and Urashima might mess something up! I expressly forbid that!" Motoko said, defiant.

"Or…" Kitsune started, giggling. Motoko knew what Kitsune was implying.

"I-impossible!" Motoko said.

"I never said I liked him, just merely respect!" Komachi said again. "Aren't I allowed to put in my opinion?" Keitaro, who had been standing in the doorway the entire time, turned to leave.

"Keitaro, where are you going?" Su asked. Keitaro stopped and spoke.

"I just thought it would be better if I wasn't present for the conversation…"

"Idiot, there's no reason for that!" Naru said. She crossed her arms in vexation.

"Yeah, you still need to choose who's love to accept!" Kitsune said. Komachi interjected.

"There is no love! Just respect!" Komachi shouted.

"But I do!" Sakura said. She ran over and hugged Keitaro fiercely.

"Wah!" he cried, blushing red.

"You…PERV!" Naru shouted, and wound up and released her Naru punch. **BAAAAMMM!**

"Aieeeee!" Keitaro cried, flying into the air and out of the room – again.

"Um…Naru, what was that for?" Kitsune asked. "Clearly Keitaro didn't do anything." Naru breathed heavily. _It…it was a reflex,_ she thought. _Or was it? Was I…jealous? NONONONONO!_ Naru started to punch herself and slam her head on the wall.

"Naru-sempai!" Shinobu cried, going over in concern. She peered at Naru who had stopped beating herself.

"Look, we shouldn't beat around the bush," Kitsune said. She had started to get tired. "If you like him why don't you admit it, darn it!" She glared at several people.

"I don't! It is merely respect!" Komachi insisted. Her brain whirled. _I don't **like** him…only respect. But does respect mean love? No! It can't!_

"Jeez, I go to all this trouble of getting you to confess in front of Keitaro and you still act like this," Kitsune said, sighing. Komachi didn't answer, but Naru did.

"You…_planned_ this?" Naru asked, mouth open. "You…"

"I know, it was brilliant, wasn't it?" Kitsune said. "And luckily I had Sakura to help!" Sakura smiled and gave a thumbs up.

"Wait…that was just acting?" Komachi asked, dumbfounded.

"Yup!♥" Sakura said, putting out her fingers in the "peace" sign. She seemed much more her perky self. "I knew that Komi-chan needed help!"

"Help?" Komachi asked not believing what she was hearing. Naru started to accuse Kitsune.

"Why can't you leave well enough alone!" she shouted. Kitsune smiled and shrugged.

"What else is there to do around here?" Kitsune asked, causing Naru to growl. Sakura kept on her conversation with Komachi.

"I knew how you really felt, Komi-chan! I just wanted to help you!" Sakura said. Komachi didn't know what to do, except panic.

"I-I didn't feel anything of the sort! What are you basing this off of!" Komachi shouted.

"But…I know I saw something! What about just now?" Sakura asked.

"Kitsune," Naru said loudly, busy arguing with her. "Why do you always do that!"

"My my, so accusatorial! It was just a good deed," Kitsune said.

"Good deed my foot!" Naru screamed.

"Just now was nothing!" Komachi answered Sakura. "It was merely respect!"

"But how many other boys earn your respect? Isn't that right, Mo-chan?" Sakura asked, turning to Motoko.

"Wh-why are you asking me? I don't want anything to do with things like this!" Motoko said hotly.

"So there's a first time for everything!" Komachi said, crossing her arms in anger. The level of argument rose higher and higher until the door slammed open and Haruka entered shouting,

"Be quiet all of you!" The girls stopped arguing and looked towards the door. Haruka stood there with a stern look in her eye. She was very angry. "Now what's this all about? I can hear you all arguing from my Tea House! Jeez, try to sleep a bit and this is what you get…" No one dared to respond. All was quiet while Haruka tapped her foot. "I'm going to find out what it is since you wreaked my nap," she stated. Finally Naru started to say something.

"It was Kitsune's fault!" she blurted out. Kitsune immediately argued back.

"What! I did nothing wrong!" Kitsune protested.

"How can you call that nothing wrong?" Naru asked. "It's plainly your fault!"

"Hold it! Kitsune, let Naru tell her side first," Haruka said. Kitsune made a "hmmph!" sound, crossed her legs and arms, and fell silent. Naru recounted everything that had transpired, giving evil looks at Kitsune occasionally. When she finished, Haruka had her hand on her chin and was nodding.

"Where is my nephew?" she asked.

"Don't know, he flew somewhere," Naru said. Haruka rubbed her chin.

"Well," she began, "Komachi, what do you think about it?" Komachi blushed slightly before answering.

"I-I just meant to say he's not that bad a guy…err, that I respect him," Komachi said.

"But that's not what you said the first time!" Sakura exclaimed. Komachi blushed red some more before turning around and answering Sakura.

"It was a slip of the tongue!" Komachi said. Here Haruka interjected.

"But how did it slip? Did Keitaro answer you?" Haruka said.

"Uh…no," Komachi said.

"Well let me say this. Is there a reason that he earned your respect?" Haruka said.

"Well…you see, ahh…" Komachi stuttered. She saw that everyone was looking at her, waiting for a response. _Is there a reason for respect? Yes! It was his hard work! That's a good answer as any!_ Komachi thought nervously, not sure if she believed it.

"He works, um, really hard, and I respect a hard working man. Just like every Japanese guy should be, instead of the lazy slackers in my school!" Komachi said. Haruka sighed and breathed out.

"Well, does it seem to anyone else that Komachi here is lying?" Haruka said. Naru and the other girls shook their heads but Sakura on cue from Kitsune nodded.

"She is definitely hiding something," she said, scrunching up her face into a pout. She crossed her arms with a manner that said "I dare you to prove me wrong." Komachi dared.

"What? I am not hiding **anything**," Komachi responded. She was almost angry with Sakura. _What's with her anyways?_ She thought angrily. She and Sakura had a unique relationship – a strong bond a friendship that had been formed out of odd circumstances. What it led to now was that Komachi, often with Motoko, helped Sakura as best she or they could, and Sakura often tried to help Komachi and Motoko, but it often she botched it up due to Sakura being Sakura. Sakura, nevertheless, never gave up in trying to help them, which led to Sakura's thoughts. _Oh no, I thought I would finally be able to help Komi-chan!_ Sakura worriedly thought. _I was sure she had those feelings…but maybe she just didn't want to admit it?_ Sakura was confused because she knew that if she liked someone she would admit it immediately, which was part of the reason the moment she had seen Keitaro she had said "cute." Sakura wasn't dumb, just naïve, which was why she thought Komachi would be happy. She was still smart enough, however, to finally figure out Komachi wouldn't want to admit it. _She is so stuck on her boy hating reputation, I guess she is physically unable to admit it,_ Sakura thought.

"Komi-chan, you can't hide it from me!" Sakura exclaimed. _I have to help her!_

"Hide what?" Komachi responded. She again seemed to dare people. Sakura jumped up from her seat and landed right in front of Komachi.

"You...like…him," Sakura said, articulating each word and putting her finger on her forehead. Komachi nearly exploded.

"I-I do not and I won't! How many times must I tell you that it's respect! RESPECT RESPECT RESPECT!" Komachi yelled.

"Cool it!" Haruka interrupted. "I see how it is now. Komachi, can I speak with you privately?" Komachi nodded sullenly and walked out with Haruka to the living room. The girls in the kitchen were silent as they left. Naru looked at Kitsune who seemed to be thinking. She seemed about to say something, but whatever it was was lost forever as Keitaro entered the kitchen. **SLIDE!**

"Ohayo!" he greeted with a friendly wave. He looked around. "Where did Iida-san go?" he asked. All the girls stared at him. "What?" he asked.

"It's your fault, but Komachi is talking to Haruka in the living room," Naru said.

"What's my fault?" Keitaro asked. Motoko decided to speak up.

"You! What is it with you! Why don't you keep your perverted hands off my friends!" Motoko accused, quite suddenly that Keitaro was taken aback.

"Wha-what?" Keitaro stuttered. Motoko continued.

"I knew I shouldn't have brought them here! That's why I never did it! I knew you would infect them, or do something like this! It's not what's supposed to happen! Why? I hate this, it's so annoying! And it's all your fault! Jeez!" Motoko finished, and she glared at Keitaro. Keitaro swallowed the information slowly digesting what Motoko had said.

"So…let me get this straight, you don't want Sakura-chan and Iida-san over here because…they'd fall for me?" Keitaro asked. _How could anyone come to that conclusion?_ Keitaro thought, knowing himself and his likeliness in getting any girls.

"What! That's not what I said at all!" Motoko protested.

"Then what did you say?" Kitsune asked. Whatever it was, however, had to wait as Haruka came back with Komachi.

"So…oh hi, Keitaro," Haruka said. He waved.

"Hey Aunt Haruka!" Keitaro greeted back. **SLAAAP! **Haruka did the usual slap. "I'm sorry Haruka-san!" Keitaro cried, bowing in apology.

"Anyways, we've come to a conclusion," Haruka said. Komachi's faced paled a bit.

"Iida-san?" Keitaro asked, looking at Komachi's face while she looked away. He bent over but Naru grabbed his collar.

"Sit down and don't look at her," she hissed to Keitaro who meekly obeyed. Komachi seemed to be…_hiding_ behind Haruka.

"Look, the main reason we're here is that there's a _misunderstanding _about what Komachi said," Haruka said. Everyone nodded at this comment.

"Yes, it was a slip of the tongue," Haruka confirmed.

"Ah, that makes a lot more sense, Iida-san," Keitaro said. Komachi nodded to Keitaro's comment.

"I knew it," Naru muttered. Sakura was confused and showed it on her face.

"But…" she started, but fell silent.

"So no more of this confession stuff, okay Kitsune?" Haruka said. "And Komachi wants to say something too." Komachi came out and coughed and straightened herself out.

"Yes," she said. "I do have something to say." She felt all eyes upon her as she cleared her throat again. She looked at Keitaro.

"I have something very important to say, and if I say it formally then (cough) nothing will be confused," Komachi said. "Urashima…no, Keitaro, I want to tell that…that…" As she strained to say the last phrase everyone leaned closer. "Uh…that," Komachi said, backing away. Everyone still leaned closer. She swallowed and braced herself. "I…that…Urashima Keitaro, I respect you very much!" Komachi closed her eyes and waited for laughter. She had been dreading this, because she knew that at school her boy-hating reputation would be smeared, she would be laughed at, and even now she knew that Urashima would laugh at her, mock her. She didn't hear anything. _Why? Is he mocking me further by waiting for me to open my eyes? Does he know no shame? Darn it, why does he torture me like this by keeping silent?_

"What are you waiting for!" Komachi yelled, opening her eyes. "Huh?" she asked. Keitaro formally bowed to her. "What, ah, are you doing?" Komachi asked. Keitaro chuckled.

"Well, I figured that since you were all formal, I would bow and be formal back, hehe," Keitaro said with another chuckle. He rubbed his head and put one arm behind his head. "So, ah, thanks I guess." He laughed again.

"Oh! Ah, you're welcome," Komachi said. "Ah, if you want you can call me Komachi-chan. Only if you want, that is."

"Okay, Komachi-chan. You can call me, well, actually you could've if you wanted to from the beginning, but you can call me Keitaro," Keitaro replied. They looked at each other and smiled nervously when suddenly everyone (except Haruka) started to clap.

"Okay," Haruka said. "Since that's done with, I'm going to back." She left. Keitaro held out his hand.

"Friends, Komachi-chan?" Keitaro asked.

"Sure, Keitaro-kun," Komachi said. They shook. The girls clapped again.

"They're such good friends already," Shinobu said, smiling.

:Dinner Time, 8:00 PM:

"ITADAKIMASU!" Su cheered. She gobbled food and ate it greedily. The others started to eat as well. Everything now was just as it was – or, actually it could be said that it was even better. Komachi and Keitaro seemed best of friends, like childhood friends.

"Keitaro-kun, could you pass the soy sauce?" Naru asked. Keitaro nodded and grabbed the soy sauce. He passed it over but suddenly his hand faltered and he spilled the soy sauce all over Naru's blouse.

"You…this is my favorite blouse!" Naru shouted. Keitaro was aback and put his arm behind his head.

"Oops," he chuckled. "Hehe. Err…I'm sorry?"

"Just shut up and take your usual punishment!" Naru shouted. **BAAAAAMM!** Keitaro again was gifted with a skydiving experience – without the parachute.

"Naru-sempai, that was a bit harsh. He apologized," Shinobu said.

"He knew he deserved it," Naru said and continued eating. The girls made light conversation as dinner progressed, only interrupted by Keitaro crashing back down.

"So Motoko," Kitsune began. "Whatcha' going to do about being switched?" Motoko started.

"Uh…am I supposed to do something?" Motoko said. "What about waiting for Su to finish again? As much as I loathe it…"

"There has to be a better situation," Komachi said. The girls all thought about a possible solution while Keitaro ate, not noticing anything.

"?" he asked, noticing everyone thinking hard. "What's up?"

"I've got it!" Motoko said, standing up. "We'll call my sister!"

"Good idea, Motoko-chan, your sister is smart about things like this," Sakura said. "Your sister is my favorite!" Motoko grabbed the phone and dialed the number in Kyoto.

"Moshi moshi ah?" Motoko heard.

"Older sister, it's me, Motoko," Motoko said.

"Oh? It doesn't sound like my sister. It sounds like…like…Keitaro! Are you pretending to be my sister so you can talk to me? Ho ho ho!♥" Tsuruko said.

"No, older sister, I **am** Motoko!" Motoko insisted.

"You don't have to be shy, landlord. I know that you are…captivated. But you know, I'm already married!" Tsuruko chuckled again.

"Sister!" Motoko exclaimed. Suddenly Keitaro grabbed the phone, startling Motoko.

"Tsuruko ne-chan? This is the landlord," Keitaro said.

"Ho ho ho, how would I not know the voice of my dear little sister, Motoko-chan? Though this is an interesting game you two are pulling…don't tell me that you are together? Can it be?" Tsuruko asked. Everyone was listening in, and Su had pushed the "speakerphone" button at the last second.

"No sister!" Motoko yelled.

"No!" Keitaro answered.

"Ho ho ho," Tsuruko chuckled. "You two are so shy all the time." She chuckled again.

"Sister, it is nothing like that!" Motoko said.

"Keitaro-kun, I tell you I'm am more perceptive than that," Tsuruko said. Keitaro whispered to Motoko.

"I'll pretend to be you and we'll explain it when she comes over," Keitaro whispered. Motoko nodded.

"Ah, sister, I have a little problem," Keitaro began.

"Oh? Did you miss your period or something like that?" Tsuruko asked. Motoko blushed while Keitaro stuttered.

"N-no, not anything like that! Err…it's something else, and I need you here, ah, yeah," Keitaro finished pathetically.

"Really?" Tsuruko said. She giggled while Motoko sighed. "Okay, I'll come over this weekend! I'll see you dear little sister! And your landlord, ho ho ho!♥" She hung up. Everyone listening sweat-dropped.

"Well, au, I'll go prepare for her arrival…" Shinobu said.

"Shinobu, it's only Wednesday! You don't have to do anything yet, it's not like we don't have plenty of rooms to spare!" Keitaro said, smiling at her.

"Urashima is right," Motoko said. "No reason to get so hyped up.

:Friday, February 20th:

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" Keitaro shouted. Tsuruko was coming anytime now, and he hadn't done a thing. Stupidly, he had put every thing to the last minute and even forgot to buy groceries. Luckily, Shinobu had gone off to do that, though Keitaro still was cleaning the entire Hinata-sou. He prepared a room for Tsuruko and had fluffed the pillows, washed the sheets and the room, dusted it as well, and not to mention made a poster greeting Tsuruko…or did he? He didn't remember anymore. _So much to do, I still haven't cleaned the kitchen, bath, or the bathrooms!_ Keitaro thought nervously. He was currently in the middle of cleaning the hallways and had five _hundred_ steps to dust and vacuum.

"Not enough time!" Keitaro moaned as he mopped and dried the hallways.

"Sempai! I got what you asked me to buy!" Shinobu called out from the entrance.

"Okay, put it in the kitchen!" Keitaro called out. "Thanks!" Keitaro finished mopping and grabbed the vacuum. **VROOOOM!** He started to clean the steps.

"Working hard, I see," Naru said. "You really don't need to do this, Motoko already told me her sister won't care."

"Oh, but presentation is very important. I want to get back, so if she's very amiable then she will be happy to help us," Keitaro said. He continued down the steps and Naru sighed as she climbed up the stairs away from Keitaro. He glanced at his watch – it was four thirty, and Tsuruko was due sometime around five. _Let's see, I think next I should clean the bathroom,_ Keitaro thought. He finished vacuuming and did a quick dusting of the stairs, then went to the bathroom. He reached for the door, then retracted his hand, and knocked instead. Hearing no response, he opened the door and breathed a sigh of relief as he found it empty. He cleaned it up, scrubbing the floor, toilet, and sink.

Kitchen

"Ah, so what should I cook today?" Shinobu mused to herself. There was no one in the kitchen to ask, and Shinobu didn't know what to cook. "Perhaps I should ask Motoko-sempai…" Shinobu said. She looked at what she had bought, but nothing stared out at her. "Rice, noodles, boneless pork, oyster sauce…did I get any vegetables?" Shinobu asked, going through the stuff she had purchased. She glanced at the list Keitaro had given her, and saw no vegetables on the list. "Perhaps that means we have some already in the fridge." Shinobu went over and swung the door open. Various drinks, including some drinks not suitable for minors, sandwiches, already made lunches, eggs, condiments, and other various food stuffs were placed there. She opened the vegetable drawer.

"Hmm…nothing much, only bok choy and asparagus," Shinobu said. "Might as well cook those." She grabbed the vegetables and closed the fridge.

"Shinobu!" Shinobu turned around and saw Su hanging in the doorway.

"What is it, Su?" Shinobu asked.

"Are you cooking? I made something to help you!" Su sang. She whipped out a machine that had hands and a wok on top. Of course, it was mobile and attached to wheels, six of them in fact. **VRRRR!**

"Um, Su, I don't really need that…" Shinobu said.

"Of course you do! I programmed it to help you cook, with the mechanized hands and the auto heating! It also has all the necessary specs, like missiles and power self-destruct," Su told Shinobu.

"Su…" Shinobu smiled, sweat-dropping. **SLIDE!**

"Clean clean clean!" Keitaro said, entering loudly with a vacuum, mop, and duster.

"Sempai!" Shinobu cried. "Do you need help?"

"Keitaro!" Su chanted. "I invented something to help you clean too!"

"No time, must clean," Keitaro only replied, and he started dusting, going over everything, including Shinobu and Su, then he brandished the vacuum.

"Keitaro!" Naru called from outside. "Tsuruko just called. She'll be here in fifteen minutes!"

"Ack! I still need to clean the baths!" Keitaro shouted. He ran off.

"Well isn't he working hard," Kitsune commented, coming in with a banana in her hand.

"Banana!" Su shouted. "Gimme gimme!" She lunged for the banana while Kitsune held it out of her reach.

"URASHIMA! HOW DARE YOU PEEK INTO THE BATHS! ROCK SPLITTING TECHNIQUE!"

"Aieeeeeee!" Keitaro cried, and the entire Hinata-sou shook as Keitaro went like a wayward missile through it. **BAM! **He went through the door flew outside. **Catch!** He landed in someone's arms.

"Hello little sister!" Tsuruko greeted. "Did something explode?" **BOOM!**

"Su! I told you I didn't need that to cook!" Shinobu shouted from the kitchen. Smoke poured out the windows.

"Ah, apparently something did," Tsuruko said.

"URASHIMA! I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU!" Motoko yelled from the inside, and she burst through the door.

"Oh?" Tsuruko said.

"Ah…err…" Motoko stuttered. "Sister, heh."

"Greetings landlord!" Tsuruko said, and she offered her hand.

"Sister, I have prepared a room for you," Keitaro said.

"Really? Great, let's go!" Tsuruko said, energized and grabbed her bags.

"Oh, let me take them," Keitaro offered, and he grabbed them.

"Well, you're awfully helpful today," Tsuruko commented. Keitaro flinched.

"Yeah…heh heh," Keitaro chuckled. They walked in and Naru greeted them.

"Hello, Tsuruko ne-chan," she said.

"Oh, and you are Narusegawa Naru, am I right? I seem to remember you when you visited Kyoto," Tsuruko said.

"Yeah," Naru answered, smiling. Su came out.

"It's Motoko's sister!" she cried, and she jumped on Keitaro examining Tsuruko. "Hallo!" Tsuruko laughed.

"And you are definitely Koalla Su that Motoko told me about, isn't that right?" Tsuruko asked, looking in Keitaro's direction. He nodded quickly. The little group walked up the stairs and to a room that was next to Motoko's.

"Wow, I'm impressed that inn is so clean," Tsuruko said, examining the clean rooms and hallway.

"Haha, yeah, I cleaned up for your arrival," Keitaro said.

"Really, Motoko-chan? Since when do you clean, I thought that your landlord does that," Tsuruko said. _Ah…_ Keitaro thought. _Oops._ They entered the room and Keitaro put the bags down.

"Alright, Tsuruko ne-chan, dinner is being cooked as we speak," Motoko said.

"That's right, err, sister…" Keitaro started.

"We have something to tell you…" Motoko said. Tsuruko looked from Keitaro to Motoko, and back again.

"Oh I know!" Tsuruko said. "You two are going out now, aren't you? I knew it, ho ho!"

"N-no!" Keitaro denied.

"Never!" Motoko said.

"Then what is it?" Tsuruko asked. Keitaro glanced at Motoko, who nodded.

"Sister, I'm not really your little sister," Keitaro said.

"Huh?" Tsuruko asked. Motoko slapped herself mentally. _Is he an idiot? He doesn't know how to phrase anything!_

"That is, sister, I may look like Motoko, but I'm really the landlord, Keitaro!" Keitaro blurted out.

"Idiot!" Motoko said, automatically hitting Keitaro on the head. "If you say it like that of course sister won't believe you! Idiot!" Tsuruko looked from one to the other.

"Hah, Keitaro is an idiot!" Su sang.

"Su hush," Naru said.

"This may seem odd, sister," Motoko started.

"But it's true, I'm sorry," Keitaro said.

"Well, it would make more sense. How did it happen?" Tsuruko asked.

"You don't want to know," Naru told her. "It was an accident."

"Oh," Tsuruko said. "Well, what do you want me to do about it?"

"Sister, can't you help us in anyway? Please?" Motoko asked.

"Please, sister, I have a Todai entrance exam soon!" Keitaro begged. "I can't go like this! Motoko will have to go for me!"

"Well, let's think about this. I have a book that might help," Tsuruko said, rummaging through her bags.

"Does sister actually have a solution?" Motoko asked.

"Aha! Here it is," Tsuruko exclaimed. She brought out a book labeled _101 Common Spiritual Maladies and How to Solve Them._

"You…actually use this book?" Keitaro asked. Tsuruko looked at him.

"This is a great reference, labeling 101 of the most popular problems, and I think I remember reading about something like yours in it," Tsuruko said. "So don't criticize it little sister."

"I'm over here, ne-chan," Motoko said.

"Oh. Well, I might do that for a while, because, well, you know, it looks weird to go around calling a male my little sister!" Tsuruko said. She chuckled. "Anyways, let's see…" She flipped through the book. "Ah, this looks promising. Look." Tsuruko pointed to a section and gave it to Keitaro and Motoko. It read.

_92: The Body Switch_

_Demons are tricky devils. They like to have fun with people and mess with their sanity. One way they do this is to switch two peoples' spirits. The end result is that they are not themselves, but have their minds switched. Usually the spirit will wait or create a circumstance that could "explain" the situation._

"Blah blah, skip to solutions," Motoko said.

_Solutions to Problem 92_

_There are several ways to fix this problem. If the demon that did the original switch can be found, exterminating it will restore the two. Or, if you can actually find a mad scientist to make a device to switch them back, you might luck out._

"Like that worked," Keitaro muttered. Su bonked him on the head.

"I worked hard on that machine!" she said. She hopped off and peered at the book.

_The last way is the most natural way, but the most difficult. Due to the nature of the switch to increase strife between the two people, the way to rid it is to decrease the strife. Often, conflicts between the two need to be completely eliminated to be effective. They need to achieve the same harmony as being one person, like a husband should be to a wife. There are no other methods yet found._

"What!" Motoko exclaimed. Even Keitaro's optimistic nature was crushed. He could never see Motoko and himself clearing all the arguments and fights they have.

"Well, do you see the solution?" Tsuruko said.

"Yes, but sister that's impossible!" Motoko exclaimed.

"Nonsense. I have seen others do it, and usually when you are in harmony enough to (cough) have babies together…" Tsuruko started.

"Urashima is NOT fathering my children!" Motoko yelled. "If I have any at all, they will go to a much more refined and intelligent man!"

"Hey, I'm intelligent!" Keitaro interjected. Motoko just snorted.

"Intelligent as the scum on my sandal," she said. Keitaro jumped up.

"What about this!" he shouted, revealing the paper that indicated the one and only time he had gotten a B on a mock exam.

"A fluke," Motoko said impassively. "Nothing more." Keitaro growled.

"Well, excuse me, _kendo girl,_" Keitaro mocked. Motoko's eye twitched, a vein popped out and she clenched her fists in shaking rage.

"How DARE you, you no good spineless idiotic PERV!" she screamed, and she drew her sword and hit Keitaro in one smooth motion.

"Aieeeeeeeeee!" he screamed as he flew out the door.

"I HATE HIM!" Motoko yelled, and she stomped out of the room. Su held a finger in her mouth and Naru was confused.

"Oh my, that was violent," Tsuruko said. "I hope they can patch it up because otherwise they'll never switch back." The scattered dust from the rampage settled, and the following silence only echoed Tsuruko's prediction.

A/N: Hey, it's been a while, hasn't it? And this is all I have to show for it, but oh well. I was just slightly lazy and didn't fell like writing too much, so this chapter is slightly shorter. Nothing more to say, which is good since I talked too much in the beginning. Please R&R!


	9. The Difficulties of A Harmony of One I

Harmony of One

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina, any of its characters, or any thing Love Hina-ish. Ken Akamatsu does. So thank him for creating this awesome manga series.

A/N: Well, I've decided to focus on this story for a while – just because I feel like it. Oh well, nothing much to say here, except that if you're waiting for Keitaro's stalker (as **Innortal **is) she won't be back until the next arc/chapter. Please enjoy this one, though! Please R&R!

"…" Denotes speech

_Italics_ Denotes thought

**Bold** Denotes sound effects

Certain Sounds:

**GOOMPH! **Means Fainting

**DOOONG!** Means Shock

:blah: Denotes time/time change

Denotes scene/scene change

Denotes daydreams and sleeping dreams

Chapter 9: The Difficulty of a Harmony of One Part I

"I…HATE…HIM!" Motoko muttered to herself very loudly as she walked down the hall. She clenched her sword that still remained unsheathed tightly. "Ooh, the nerve!" She swung randomly and scraped a hole along the wall. If anyone had approached her at that moment, they would have suffered the same fate as the poor manager.

"Coming on like that, I thought we were trying to come with a solution," she muttered again. Her teeth started to ache because she had been clenching that as well for a long period of prolonged time. She kept them clenched, however, because she was still furious. Her eyes blazed and would have scared any demon into submission. "Stupid!" she exclaimed. She reached her room and flung the door open, banging it against the wall and cracking the frame. She didn't care. She slammed it closed as well, and sat on the floor, still angry and still fuming.

"Stupid stupid Urashima!" she exclaimed once again. "Stupid ne-chan!" This was the first time she had thought or said anything about her sister and she momentarily flinched. She realized she still clenched her sword tightly in her hand, and raised her arm to throw it against the wall in fury. As she did, she a moment of sanity graced her and she realized that she would have to fix it and lowered her arm. What was she so angry about anyways? _It's that stupid Urashima's fault! Ooh, so perverted and spineless!_ She thought, the anger in such an elevated state that she felt her temple throbbing. Her rage was uncontrollable, and she was almost ready to get up again to smite Urashima in her righteous fury. _Dare he call me "kendo girl" too!_ Wait! Motoko instantly was taken aback and suddenly like the end of an explosion her fury died off. She reverted to being the calm, composed, Motoko everyone knew, though now she was pensive. _Was I so angry because he called me "kendo girl?"_ Motoko thought. Her brain's gears turned and the cogs caught and began to turn. _Why? He called me it before, though when I didn't know him very well. I **am** a kendo girl of sorts, and other boys call me that without me blowing up at them? Why when Urashima calls me that I get so angry?_ _There must be something…else. Yes, if he were to call me that again right now I would lash out in fury._ Her skin tingled and she almost lashed out anyways to an imagined scene of Keitaro insulting her. _But if someone else, from my school like Hisaki or his stupid minions, for example called me that, I would not lash out, only ignore them. _

_Okay, not exactly true, but it would be a hit for the sake of my honor instead of anger. Perhaps I had expected Urashima to be more caring…_Her brain froze up, almost not allowing her to think her last thought. Perhaps she had overreacted, but Urashima had no right to say that as well.

"And that's what I think about it!" Motoko finished, nodding her head and sheathing her sword.

"Motoko-sempai! Dinner time!" Shinobu cried out from the bottom floor. Motoko stood up, stretched and went downstairs.

Kitchen

: 6:15 PM, still February the 20th:

**CHOMP!** Su took a giant bite out of a the chicken that Keitaro had gotten Shinobu to buy.

"Yum yum!" Su said, mouth full as usual without any respect for table manners. "Tis is good, Shionbuf!"

"Thank you," Shinobu said, smiling falteringly. She always did this, no matter how many times people thanked her, which was everyday. The residents were really thankful – they always helped pay, of course, well, Kitsune didn't but Keitaro was too nice to not let her eat.

"Yes, this is very delicious compared to the food I make my husband eat, ho ho," Tsuruko commented.

'Ne-chan, I'm sure your husband appreciates your efforts," Motoko said, trying to reassure her.

"No, he actually always complains and says we should hire a cook so his life won't be shortened by my cooking," Tsuruko said. Everyone stared and didn't speak, the silence engulfed the room; it was oppressive.

"Um, well, I could teach you…" Shinobu offered, breaking the silence.

"Really? Hmm…then maybe my husband might become too amorous…" Tsuruko mused.

"Ne-chan!" Motoko said, blushing red. Tsuruko suddenly chuckled.

"Oh ho, so embarrassed are we? You know, you should be thinking about these things with your landlord—"

"Ne-chan!" Motoko said again. She had not said or looked at Keitaro since coming down, but now she threw a glance in his direction. He also had a slight flush in his cheeks barely noticeable. He back into her eyes, and she saw her own deep pools that made her **very** uncomfortable. She turned back to Tsuruko. "Ne-chan, I already told you that—"

"Blah blah, yeah, you don't want to have Keitaro's children," Tsuruko said. Shinobu dropped the chopsticks she had been holding in her hands. They clattered on the floor while Kitsune raised her eyebrows, as she was prone to do when juicy bits of information like this was revealed. The "evil or at least mischievous plot" system was turned on, and Kitsune smiled slowly.

"Ch-children?" Shinobu stuttered.

"Oh, don't worry, Shinobu-chan, it's all very easily explained," Tsuruko said.

"It is?" Shinobu asked.

"Yes," Tsuruko said, smiling. "If Motoko and Keitaro have children together, then they will switch back and all their problems will be solved!" **DOOOONG!** Everyone's mouth dropped open, even Naru and Su who had heard this before. _Is she…doing this on purpose?_ Naru thought. Motoko and Keitaro recovered first, and they both exclaimed at once,

"Sister!" Tsuruko turned with a genuinely confused face.

"What?" she asked.

"Don't phrase it like that, sister!" Keitaro said.

"Please be more considerate!" Motoko begged.

"But that's what usually happens," Tsuruko said.

"Don't worry, Shinobu," Naru said, putting on a smile somehow. She laughed nervously. "All Tsuruko ne-chan meant was that if they can put aside all their differences then they can switch back." Shinobu finally moved again and breathed in relief. "She just meant that by that time the two are in such harmony that they are up to that stage." Shinobu froze again, then started to cry.

"Au!" she cried. She jumped up from her chair and ran outside crying.

"Wait, Shinobu!" Keitaro cried, jumping up from his own chair and dashing outside to follow the weeping Shinobu. The girls remained stared at the door, except for Su who stared while eating. She swallowed.

"So Keitaro's going to get married?" Su asked. Motoko flinched and immediately started to shout.

"NO!" she said, firmly and settling the matter. "That will NEVER happen!"

"Like how you were never going to take a bath with him?" Kitsune asked. Motoko twitched again and almost fell out of her chair.

"That…I mean…it was unavoidable…" she stuttered.

"So little sister has already decided to go "that" route? Oo," Tsuruko said, her hand over her mouth in embarrassment, though to Motoko it seemed fake.

"I…NEVER DID!" Motoko suddenly burst out.

"Then what's this?" Kitsune asked, turning on a TV she had obtained from somewhere and switching it on.

"There, watch out and lower yourself slowly into the water," Motoko's, or to be more accurate Keitaro's voice came from the TV.

"Ah…this feels good, the water I mean," Motoko, really Keitaro said.

"KITSUNE! STOP THIS TRAVESTY AT ONCE!" Motoko roared. Kitsune felt the awesome battle power emanating from Motoko and quickly raised the remote and pressed stop.

"Hey, I wasn't done watching!" Su interjected.

"Su!" Naru exclaimed. "Don't be like that!" Tsuruko seemed pensive and she crossed her legs and put one hand on her chin, all the while making a "hmm" sound. Motoko turned to her sister, beet red, and saw her thinking about…something. _Oh no, does she think I am "loose" because I was forced to do that?_ Motoko thought worriedly.

"It's quite interesting," Tsuruko said after a while. Her voice indicated no anger, nor embarrassment, but Motoko was wary. Something was up, and Motoko really wanted to know.

"What is so, ah, interesting, dear sister?" Motoko asked.

"Perhaps it is possible," Tsuruko said, completely ignoring Motoko. "But it will take a while…unless…I'll be back, Motoko." With that, Tsuruko left.

"So…what is this thing about?" Kitsune asked slyly.

"Older sister already told you!" Motoko said huffily. She got up, pushed her chair in, then left as well.

"Well, that turned out well," Kitsune commented.

"Kitsune, that type of joke is not funny right now," Naru responded dryly. Kitsune only giggled.

Motoko's Room

Motoko was fuming again in the middle of her room. She sat in a meditation pose, unaware of anything around her. _What was ne-chan talking about, quite interesting!_ Motoko thought. _And talking about making babies like that! Jeez! Does she have no tact?_ Motoko knew, though, this was unfair, and Tsuruko only said things like that to have fun. Of course, she loved to have fun at Motoko's expense, and even though as little children she was her idol and still is. Except for the married part.

"Ne-chan always does that," Motoko muttered to herself. Most of the time she thought it was just playful, out of love, but this time it struck to her very core that had caused her anger to flare up. She couldn't believe she had talked like that, even though it was impossible to do anything about resolving their differences. It was impossible.

"Urashima is an impossible man to get along with," Motoko murmured to herself. She felt a twang of guilt as she said this – Urashima did try to be kind to all the residents, to the point of overdoing it. But it was a fleeting moment and Motoko resumed her fuming.

"Plus he's perverted and constantly does things that are offensive," she told herself again. The door opened, and Motoko glanced towards the motion.

"Motoko?" Tsuruko said. "Oops, it's the landlord…"

"No, it's me, ne-chan, remember?" Motoko said.

"Oh, yeah, sorry," Tsuruko said. She came in and sat down. "So what were you thinking about little sister?" Motoko pondered upon the answer she should give. Should she admit that she had been thinking that Urashima was a dirty useless man?

"I bet you were thinking that your landlord is a dirty useless man," Tsuruko said, after gazing at Motoko's face. Motoko twitched in surprise and she opened her eyes.

"Ah…err…how did you know?" she asked. Tsuruko chuckled in her off-hand way that was so maddening.

"Little sister, you are really bad at hiding things. Anyone could tell what you were thinking," Tsuruko said. "You virtually had it written on your face!" Motoko instinctively started to look for a mirror, but then she realized she was being ridiculous and turned back to her sister.

"Um…older sister? C-can I ask you…a personal question?" Motoko inquired. Tsuruko raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?" she asked. Motoko was sweating slightly, and she wiped it from her eyes. Swallowing she began to speak.

"Ah…" she began, "How did, err, you know that, you had the one?"

"One? What one?" Tsuruko responded. "What does that mean?"

"Well, you know, _the_ one," Motoko repeated. She looked down, embarrassed.

"Oh! Well, Motoko, when you find the _one_ then you'll know!" Tsuruko said. "It's hard to describe the feeling."

"Could you, ah, try? I just want to know the feasibility of switching back," Motoko said.

"Because you don't think you can get rid of all your differences if Keitaro-kun is not _the_ one for you?" Tsuruko suggested. Motoko looked around nervously before giving her answer.

"Sort of…" she said. "It just that…well, I'm wondering how hard I should try." Motoko fell silent.

"Okay, since you're my little sister I have no qualms about this…although it does seem weird because your Keitaro too. Perhaps I should turn around…" Tsuruko chuckled lightly. Motoko waited, and Tsuruko got the point. She cleared her throat.

"So when I met my husband I didn't fall in love at first sight. It wasn't one of those, though I can't discount that that never happens. It was more of a general friendship that deepened into love. This is what I believe true love is, when two friends spend a long time together, have fun together, then realize they really care about each other and want to spend the rest of their lives together." Motoko's face suddenly brightened like a bulb turning on. Her next line spilled out very fast.

"So that must mean Urashima and I can't be like that!" Motoko said. "I don't consider him as a friend and don't spend time with him!" Tsuruko waved her finger.

"Uh uh uh, you see, this is what true love **is**, but it can develop from a short time with each other. You see, sometimes it is fated that two should spend the rest of their lives together, protecting one another, and the attraction is sprung almost immediately," Tsuruko said. "I have seen this happen several times over and over."

"Really ne-chan?" Motoko asked, crushed that perhaps Urashima was fated with her after all. "Is it possible to predict it?"

"Well, you could go to a divination woman, but who knows if they're actually real or fake," Tsuruko said. "Though from the signs, anyone could guess that maybe you **are** fated to be with Keitaro-kun.

"What! How did you come up with that conclusion!" Motoko asked, worried and sad at this declaration by Tsuruko.

"Well, it stands to reason that by the events occurred that maybe Kami-sama himself wanted it this way," Tsuruko said. (A/N: I believe – correct me if wrong – that Kami-sama refers to God) "And," she continued, "Thus this "cursed body switch" you find yourself under is only the way that you shall meet and learn to love Keitaro. Almost every and any prophet, real or fake, could tell you this. The switch was meant to happen; you are meant to be with Keitaro."

Motoko didn't know what to say to this…this fate. Was it, after, fate? Could she be destined to love, cherish, and hold dear forever that…that…she couldn't think it. _Why Urashima?_ She asked herself and whoever was up there. _Don't they have anything better to do than mess with my love life?_ For a moment, she was appalled and astonished that she was actually was talking about a love life. If she had been told that she was destined with Urashima, no, with being married, she would have laughed or perhaps she might have taken offense. She didn't want marriage; she didn't want kids; she didn't want a love life to think about at all.

"Why?" she murmured more to herself than to Tsuruko. Tsuruko answered anyways.

"Motoko-chan, some things in life cannot be explained. When I was your age, I dreamed of continuing the dojo forever and maybe handing it down to you when I passed on, but then I met my husband and I was truly content to let you have it. If you had asked me about this before, I would have laughed you out of the house," Tsuruko said. "Think about it some more, then get some sleep. We have to train early tomorrow, eh? Five in the morning?" Motoko was slightly dazed and there was a slight pause before she answered.

"Yes. Yes, of course," she said. "And I will get Urashima too, and perhaps Komachi will come."

"Oh yes, I've heard of her," Tsuruko said. "Well, that will be wonderful, perhaps I still have a trick or two to teach you." Tsuruko chuckled and stood up. "Good night, Motoko-chan." Motoko nodded and Tsuruko left.

"Is Urashima _the one_?" she asked herself. It was a long time before she got any sleep.

Keitaro's Room

Naru sipped her tea. She and Keitaro were having a rare moment together studying. Keitaro had cajoled and guilted Naru into helping him, saying "You've haven't helped me for a long time, and I need help now!" Naru was credulous that Keitaro was so worthless – his long time was only since the 15th, which was only five days ago. _Just like the old Keitaro,_ Naru thought. This simple thought cause a revelation – Keitaro had changed. _Well, obviously he's changed by becoming Motoko,_ Naru thought ironically, but she knew it was more than that. _His personality hasn't changed for the worse, because he's the same stupidly over-kind manager. No, what has changed is his reliability, which is a very good thing indeed._ She sipped some tea. Keitaro was busy studying and scribbling down stuff, math stuff.

"Ah, Narusegawa, can you check this?" Keitaro asked, and handed her the notebook he was writing in. Naru took it and started to check it.

"Oh man, it's already this late?" Keitaro said to himself. "Oh well, can't help it. Don't even know why I'm bothering," Keitaro grumbled. Naru paused and looked up from correcting Keitaro's mistakes.

"Bothering with what?" Naru asked. "What are you talking about?"

"With this. I can't get it and I can't do it, and it looks like Motoko's going to have to take the test for me anyways," Keitaro told her, and he scratched his head. "Though if she gets in, it'll be a real problem for me." Keitaro's face suddenly was wrought into a frown and he almost started crying. "What if I'm forever like this and never get to go into Todai? Then I'll never meet that girl! Wah! Narusegawa, you have to help meeeee!" Naru backed away as Keitaro began crawling forward in pathetic whimpering.

"What are you crazy!" Naru shouted. She slapped Keitaro on the head with the notebook she was holding. "Don't be so stupid!" Keitaro rubbed his head where the book had made contact.

"But what if I'm stuck as Motoko forever? Nobody wants that!" Keitaro moaned again. Naru put on a very calm and reasoning tone.

"Keitaro, of course Motoko's sister will have a plan to help you switch back. In fact, right now she's probably thinking up some elaborate scheme that will help you change back into your rightful body!" Naru exclaimed over-optimistically.

Tsuruko's Room

**ZZZZZZZZZZ!** Tsuruko was sound asleep in her futon.

Keitaro's Room

"You're probably right," Keitaro said.

"As always!" Naru said cheerfully. Keitaro scowled at this comment, but knowing it was true didn't say anything. "Anyways, you didn't do too bad on this one." She handed him back the notebook.

"Yes! I got it right!" Keitaro cried in joy. He started on the next problem. Naru sipped some more tea and gazed at Keitaro working hard. _It's difficult to say why he's so hard working, but it's a good manly feature to have,_ Naru thought. She then smiled as she remembered and recounted to herself the "unmanly" times in her head. _Why were they so funny?_ Naru suddenly thought, and laughed at herself.

"What's so funny?" Keitaro asked, spying the smile and slight chuckling coming from Naru.

"Oh…nothing," Naru denied.

"Give it, you were laughing at me, weren't you?" Keitaro accused. Naru was about to deny it when she realized she was indirectly doing exactly that.

"Not…really," she said unconvincingly. Keitaro didn't believe her.

"Why? Did I fail horribly on this problem?" Keitaro asked. He looked again at his work. "No, I'm pretty sure I got it…"

"You…fool!" Naru said. "Am I not allowed to laugh?"

"No," Keitaro said. "Not when I'm the subject and not informed." Naru almost got angry, but this was so pathetic she started to laugh again.

"Why? What did I do!" Keitaro asked, desperate for an answer. He got up, then tripped and landed you know where. **SQUISH!♥ **

"You…" Naru said. Keitaro tried to recover by pushing himself off, but instead Naru fell to the ground and Keitaro was over her. It was the classic "man attacking women" pose, but as usual it was an accident. "OFF!" Naru shouted, and punched Keitaro in the face. **BAM! BAM!** He hit the opposite wall while Naru climbed back down through the hole in the room. "Good night!♥" she said sweetly to the smoldering wreck on the wall that had once been Keitaro. She covered the hole back up and left. **THUMP!** Keitaro landed on the floor.

"I…I don't get it at all," he said to himself, wondering what the heck was up with Naru. Down as she prepared for bed she though, _That was fun. _

Motoko's Room

:4:45 AM, Saturday February 21st:

**TAP!** Motoko heard a sound and twitched in her futon. _Is it…is it morning?_ **TAP!** She had a feeling it was, but refrained from looking at the clock. **TAP!** _What is that noise?_ She wondered. She ignored it. **TAP!** She knew that as the sound was annoying her, she could never sleep and she might as well take a look at the clock. 4:45 AM. _Okay, time to wake up…and practice kendo. Did I ask Komachi to come over? Will she come over at _ _five o'clock__ in the morning?_

"Motoko!" someone hissed. Motoko guessed that it was Tsuruko; who else would be up and wanting to practice as much as her sister would? The door opened silently and closed silently as well. _Perhaps I should pretend to be asleep. I don't need to do anything for fifteen minutes at least,_ Motoko thought. She could change quickly that it didn't take much. She felt footsteps near her body. Multiple footsteps. _Is it Tsuruko and…probably Komachi, after all I do remember asking her if she wanted to come train._ Motoko kept her eyes closed.

"She's still asleep," someone whispered. _Yup, there are two people here,_ Motoko thought.

"Good," the other said. _Good?_ Motoko thought worriedly. "Go and do it." She heard some shuffling, then it stopped.

"Do I have to?" was whispered back.

"If you want to ever get what you want," the other said. Motoko almost felt a sort of shudder, but she now was curious at what was happening. She kept her eyes closed and breathed normally. Suddenly she felt the cover being lifted and someone got in with her! _What is this?_ Motoko thought worriedly. Even worse, she felt an arm lay over her and felt breathing over her face. Her eyes flew open, but it didn't help because it was almost pitch black. She moved.

"Oh…ah, are you awake, Motoko…err…chan?" Keitaro asked. There was no more mistaking it now, it was clear Urashima had gotten in bed with _her._ She clenched his fists in rage, and if she had gone to bed with her sword nearby then Motoko would have lashed out. "Um, good morning, and, err, it is time to practice, um, train," Keitaro said. She suddenly smelled sweat – no she **felt** sweat that was pouring off of Urashima. Suddenly he stood up, and shouted.

"I can't do it! She'll kill me! Save me! Save me ne-chan!" Keitaro cried, whimpering. "I tried, but she'll just hate me more!" Keitaro continued to mutter gibberish as he hid in a corner of the room. Motoko stood up slowly and started to growl.

"Urashima…how dare you defile me!" she shouted. "You even put…your _arm_ around me!" She articulated each word with a menace that had Keitaro whimpering even more. Motoko raised her fists.

"Save me! Tsuruko ne-chan asked me to do it!" he cried, and as Motoko lashed out. **BAM!** "Huh?" Keitaro asked, noticing the lack of pain. A hole in the wall was present next to his head and he looked up to see Motoko's back.

"Sister! How could you!" Motoko asked. "Is it true?" She now saw her sister who chuckled lightly.

"Ah, Motoko, I was just trying to tell Keitaro-kun that it would help your relationship and make you change back quicker," Tsuruko said. Motoko gritted her teeth and saw through this obvious lie that Keitaro she knew was too innocent to doubt.

"Sister! What is the real reason?" Motoko asked. Tsuruko, though no one could see it, lifted her eyes and faced Motoko.

"Why, nothing than what I just said, Motoko-chan," she stated. Motoko knew that something was wrong, but Tsuruko wasn't giving anything up. Someone else entered the room.

"Komachi-chan?" Keitaro asked.

"Hey, it's a party! Hello, Keitaro-kun!" Komachi said, waving. She bowed to Tsuruko.

"Why, how respectful! No need for that, it's not like I run the dojo anymore!" Tsuruko said.

"Um…excuse me, Tsuruko ne-chan, but don't you still run it?" Keitaro asked, putting a fake smile on his face.

"Well, one day Motoko will…or maybe not, if she gets you," Tsuruko said, slyly like with an unreal imitation of Kitsune's smile. _Is Motoko's sister this devious?_ Keitaro asked himself while sweat-dropping. An uncomfortable silence passed while Komachi was confused.

"Let's go!" Tsuruko said happily, and she dragged Motoko and Keitaro out to the roof while Komachi followed.

Roof

"HYAH!" **CLACK! **A block!

"Go Keitaro-kun!" Motoko and Keitaro were sparring, while Tsuruko watched, commented, and made suggestions. Komachi was cheering. "Go Motoko-chan!" Motoko made a series of attacks – to the left, the right, and from below, but Keitaro managed to make a pathetic defense. **CLACK CLACK CLACK! **

"Keitaro-kun, you have to go on the offensive sometime," Tsuruko said. Motoko kept on pressing down.

"I…trying!" Keitaro managed to squeak out. He wanted to, but it was very difficult because Motoko never let down, and wouldn't lose on purpose, and always used her full strength. It was amazing that Keitaro managed to block anything, considering that he had been so pathetic a while ago. **BAM! **Motoko scored a hit and Keitaro went down like a sack of potatoes. He got up slowly as Komachi cheered.

"Good hit, Motoko-chan!" Tsuruko moved towards Keitaro.

"Keitaro-kun, come here…" she said, and started to work with Keitaro. Which left Komachi and Motoko by themselves.

"Want to spar?" Motoko asked. Komachi nodded.

"Heh, let's go!" She grabbed a sword and swung. The two started to spar heavily, swinging and clacking swords, dodging this and hitting that.

:6:00 AM, an hour later:

Motoko and Komachi were still sparring.

"Komachi, you've gotten better," Motoko said, breathing heavily. Komachi smiled.

"Of course," she said. She aimed for a vital point, but Motoko blocked it.

"This is, though your limit," she said, and Motoko blasted Komachi with an ultra special combo. "Lion Million Claw technique!" The blade moved so fast that Komachi had no time to block any of them and she fell down. She breathed heavily when Motoko reached her arm out.

"It looks like you win again," Komachi said. Motoko smiled when suddenly Keitaro came flying into the middle of them and knocked Motoko out.

"Motoko-chan! Keitaro-kun!" Komachi cried. Tsuruko also rushed over, but suddenly Keitaro got up. "Wha-?" Komachi asked. Keitaro gave a thumbs up sign to Tsuruko.

"Um…what's going on?" Komachi asked.

"We were just training," Tsuruko said. "But we focused on Keitaro's specialty, so I think he can even beat Motoko." Komachi opened her mouth in surprise; beat Motoko? Is that possible? Will it ever be possible? She voiced her concerns to Tsuruko.

"Ah, Tsuruko ne-chan, how is that possible? I mean, sure, Keitaro-kun has some skills, but can it be that good?" Komachi asked. Keitaro, meanwhile, was poking on Motoko to see if he could get her to wake up.

"We shall see," Tsuruko said as Motoko rose and slapped Keitaro on the head for knocking her out.

"Stupid!" Motoko said. Keitaro apologized in his usual manner.

"Sorry, sorry, Motoko-chan," Keitaro said. Motoko stood up without the help of Keitaro, who had his arm out for that purpose.

"Since when do you get to use the "chan" suffix anyways?" she asked. Keitaro scratched the back of his head with on arm.

"Well, Tsuruko ne-chan said I should," Keitaro answered. He shrugged. "That's why, I guess if you're really offended…" Tsuruko butt in at this point.

"Motoko is not offended at all," she said.

"What! How do you get to decide whether I'm offended or not?" Motoko asked incredulously. Tsuruko suddenly turned and gave a look that only Motoko understood. She often gave that look when they were younger, for example when Tsuruko had something drastic that if Motoko didn't follow her command, something bad might follow. "Ah…I'm not offended, Urashima," Motoko said.

"Motoko-chan, Tsuruko ne-chan says that Keitaro-kun can beat you now!" Komachi suddenly put in, and Motoko raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? I'd like to see that happen," she said. Tsuruko chuckled heartily.

"Why don't we see?" she said, and stepped back with Komachi leaving Motoko and Keitaro left to spar. The sun had began to fully shed its light, and the rays were displayed over the roof like a landscape painting with two fighters in the middle on the brink of destroying one another. Motoko heaved her sword into the ready position as did Keitaro.

"Go," Tsuruko commanded. Neither moved. _If Older sister showed Urashima something…tricky, then it might be dangerous,_ Motoko thought. She wanted to see it first. _I hope I don't die,_ was what flashed through Keitaro's brain. Suddenly in a split-second Motoko gave up the idea of seeing what Keitaro would do and attacked. A quick blow from below was blocked safely, but Motoko changed and pressed on. She struck from the side, the other side, the top, diagonally downwards from left to right and every other direction. It was like repeat of their first session. Keitaro only managed to block every blow and could not push the offensive.

"Keitaro-kun, go!" Komachi cheered. Motoko spoke as well.

"Urashima, I thought you had something special to show me," she said through clenched teeth as she swung again and again.

"Keitaro-kun, why don't you show it?" Tsuruko said.

"Hah, like I'd let you! Lion Million Claw technique!" Motoko said, using the combo from before and striking Keitaro. Suddenly in the middle of the technique Keitaro burst through and swung at Motoko, hitting her clean in the stomach and causing her to fall backwards down onto the ground.

"Motoko-chan!" Komachi cried. She started but Motoko held one hand up in a "stop" sign.

"I (pant) am (pant) okay…" Motoko gasped, as the wind had been hit out of her. She sat on the floor of the roof gasping.

"Ah…I'm sorry, Motoko-chan, I didn't mean to swing that hard," Keitaro said. He came over along with Tsuruko who squatted down.

"Do you want to know how Keitaro did that?" she asked. Motoko was still panting, but slowly the feeling of her loss came like a meteor. _YOU LOST!_ She couldn't take it, and she became even more stressed, panting more. _No…how…when? I don't want to know! I don't want to know how pathetic I am! I don't…yet…knowing is the only way to defeating it!_ Motoko's brain played like this and she didn't reply her sister.

"Ho ho ho, Motoko-chan, it looks like you're confused," Tsuruko said. She put her hand on her chin.

"Tsuruko ne-chan, I want to know how Keitaro-kun does it!" Komachi asked enthusiastically.

"It's nothing that special!" Keitaro said, but Komachi asked again, tugging on Keitaro's sleeve.

"C'mon, Keitaro-kun! I want to know!" she whined.

"Maybe Tsuruko ne-chan can explain…I'm not too sure myself of what I do, Komachi-chan," Keitaro said.

"No!" Motoko shouted. "Again, Urashima!" She had gotten her breath back and lunged forward.

Kitchen

:7:00 AM:

**GOOMPH!** Motoko fainted as she entered the kitchen and Keitaro rushed to grab her and lend himself as support. As angry as Motoko was at Keitaro, she couldn't do anything to stop him from supporting her. Komachi grabbed the other arm.

"Rough training time?" Naru asked, already eating. She waited for Motoko to summon up enough energy simply to nod. Keitaro and Komachi lowered her into a seat. Tsuruko now entered into the kitchen and sat down next to Naru.

"It was actually quite taxing on my dear little sister," Tsuruko said. "No matter what she may say," she added. Motoko only threw a half-hearted stare at Tsuruko that tried to pierce her soul and give her a fright. The look never even reached Tsuruko who had picked up a pair of chopsticks and had gratefully started to eat the food that was laid out for her. The group around the table was normal – that is, Su was stuffing her mouth, Kitsune was trying to hold the chopsticks steady after waking up with a hangover, and Shinobu was eating quietly in her own little way while glancing to see if anyone was saying anything about the food.

"Why?" Naru asked.

"Naru-san, you shouldn't ask such questions," Komachi admonished. But she answered it anyways. "It's because Keitaro-kun was defeating Motoko several times. Well, actually how many times did you spar?" Keitaro rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't remember," he said. It was partially true; he knew the general number but didn't want to make Motoko feel bad that she had lost. Alas, Motoko was more tired from the mental fatigue of losing each time to Urashima than actually losing. _Why? What makes him like that? How does he do it? ARGH! This hurts my brain!_ Motoko thought. She stared at the food in front of her.

"Eat, sister," Tsuruko said. "Plus, it's very good as usual." She gave a thumbs up to Shinobu who nodded in return. Komachi had begun eating but Keitaro, worried, hadn't eaten his portion yet.

"I can't," Motoko stated simply. She was too angry, too irked, too darn annoyed to eat! _What was Urashima doing that was so…good?_ Tsuruko still hadn't explained and Keitaro didn't even really know what he did, only that **something** worked. Suddenly there was food hanging in front of her face. The stringy clump of noodles dangled in front of her and she looked to see Keitaro holding food for her.

"Hungry?" Keitaro asked. Motoko scowled at him.

"I can feed myself," she said. "No thank you." Keitaro still refused to take away the delicious smelling food from her face. She realized rapidly how hungry she was, but after rejecting Keitaro she wasn't going to admit it. And she **could** feed herself. "No, I don't want your food," she said, or would have said if Keitaro's hand hadn't been bumped and the chopsticks stuffed in her mouth with the food. Everyone froze for a second as Motoko nearly died. She swallowed and turned to face Keitaro who was shrinking away in morbid fear, fear that soon he might become another passenger on the train to death.

"Care to explain what that was about?" she said with such a menacing undertone that Keitaro wished he hadn't even thought about feeding Motoko. What was he thinking, anyways? Motoko almost drew her sword, but the memory of her recent loss—scratch that, her recent loss_es_ burned through her mind and she didn't unsheathe her blade. Yet Keitaro still shrank back as small as possible.

"Uh…someone bumped me," he said. Motoko waited for someone to confirm Keitaro's statement, but no such declaration was uttered. "I swear!" he cried as Motoko drew nearer. Motoko felt a violent urge to lash out with all she had, slicing this insolent male down this instant. She felt the rush of anger, boiling like a volcano ready to exploded.

"Motoko, perhaps you want to consider your future," Tsuruko interjected. "Killing him now won't let you change back." Motoko froze; she knew it was true. "In fact, getting angry with him won't let you change back either."

"But sister, what can I do!" Motoko suddenly cried out, in anger and in shame. "This man irritates me so much! Everyday he does things that irk me to no end, this man!" Keitaro flinched at every attack. _Am I that bad?_ He secretly wondered to himself.

"That is the basis of your problem," Tsuruko said. "You know that." Motoko was regretful that she had ever invited her sister. Why did she irk her as well as Urashima!

"Stupid Urashima!" Motoko uttered more to herself than to Keitaro. She turned and sat back down angry. Keitaro was just happy that he escaped with his life – in reality, his special move wasn't really something he remembered he could do all the time. The breakfast continued silently; even Su didn't talk, only ate loudly as usual.

"Tsuruko ne-chan, what is the secret to Keitaro-kun's victory?" Komachi asked out of the blue. Motoko flinched inwardly – she didn't want to know.

"Oh, it's very simple," Tsuruko explained. "He simply projects his invincibility outward using a technique I taught him. So he can not worry about being hit and just slam his opponent." Motoko had been tempted to close her ears, but she didn't and now she just felt stupid. Something as little as a tiny invincibility power had beaten her, her, the resident kendo master.

"That's cheating!" Motoko said, suddenly slamming her fist on the table and standing up. "Urashima, let's have a real fight without your invincibility!" Though it was something insignificant as invincibility, meaning that Motoko definitely had more talent and skill, she knew it is difficult to over come that. It's like trying to cut a rock with a piece of paper.

"Motoko-chan, I'd lose badly like that! What happened before? I know that I'm am weaker, in fact I admit your superiority and bow down," Keitaro said, and did so because he first of all didn't feel like sparring any more and second knew he would lose badly. He told himself, and it was true, that it was only by luck that he drew out this invincibility shield that Tsuruko had taught him. He definitely wouldn't remember to pull it out on the fly. Motoko made a "hmmph" sound and crossed her arms.

"As you should," she only said. Everyone finished breakfast and filed out slowly. Keitaro was weary of Tsuruko and Motoko. He wasn't that stupid, for his low IQ. He knew that the more Tsuruko pushed for harmony the more the giant chasm between Motoko and himself would increase. Yet it had to shrink somehow, otherwise their bodies would be stuck like this forever. Tsuruko pulled him aside as he climbed the stairs to his room.

"Manager, I would like a word with you," she asked. Fearing that Tsuruko was going to tell him to go do something he would regret, Keitaro tried to pretend he hadn't heard her, but apparently it wasn't in his control whether or not he went with Tsuruko. She grabbed his collar and dragged him to her room.

Tsuruko's room

"Keitaro-kun, we have a problem," Tsuruko said. Komachi who was there for "moral support" nodded.

"That's right, you two can't get along," Komachi said. She waved her finger in a "no no" motion. "And that means you guys will never switch back."

"I know," Keitaro said. He felt dejected, as every time he tried to help he seemed to only make it worse. He wanted so much to rid the difficulties and conflicts between himself and Motoko…

"I know how you have to fix it," Tsuruko said. "The only way is to love her." Komachi sputtered as well as Keitaro.

"Wha-what!" they both exclaimed. Tsuruko nodded her head in affirmation.

"Yes, Keitaro-kun, what you don't realize is that Motoko is a very delicate girl. I sense that she actually feels something for you, though you may not realize it. I understand her psyche, and can interpret her feelings. She was so angry about losing to you because she really deep down inside feels something for you," Tsuruko said.

"Um…isn't because she hates losing in general?" Keitaro asked, not sure about her explanation. Tsuruko tsked and shook her head.

"Keitaro, you don't understand the female brain, do you?" Tsuruko said.

"Of course not! If I did, I would write books and get millions of dollars!" Keitaro burst out. "It's like some complicated thing! I thought she wanted men to be strong?"

"She does," Tsuruko replied.

"Then what gives?" Keitaro explained. Komachi took this chance to put in her two cents worth.

"Kei-kun," she said, "a girl's feelings are deep and complex. While she wants you to be strong, she can't bear the idea of losing to you. This is what she thinks: I love Keitaro and want him to be manly and strong, yet he can't beat me because only my sister can be stronger than me. It's like that." Keitaro hadn't heard this strong proclamation that Motoko _loves_ him. He stared at the two girls – one a women and one a high school student. Suddenly he burst out in loud laughter.

"You're joking, right? Motoko in love…and in love with me? Where do you get this stuff?" Keitaro asked. He laughed again. "It's be a cold day in hell before that happens."

Hell

"WHO THE HECK BROKE THE THERMOSTAT AND THE FURNACE? HOW CAN ANY ONE BURN IN THE FIERY PITS OF HELL IF IT'S ONLY TWENTY DEGREES IN HERE?" Lucifer roared. "WHERE'S THE MECHANIC?"

Tsuruko's room

"Keitaro-kun, you must search your feelings and see if you can love her back. This is what will decide whether you will change back," Komachi said. Keitaro still didn't believe them.

"Look, this isn't some shojo manga series," he said. "People with that much loathing for me can't be in love. I refuse to believe it! I would never get that lucky!" He froze. The clocked ticked loudly and chimed the hour. Tsuruko suddenly burst along with Komachi into smiles.

"See? You do like her!" they both said at once.

"What is this?" Keitaro cried, and he tried to crawl away as they held him down and tried to force a confession out of him.

"I don't mean that!" he said. "It's just…"

"Just what?" Tsuruko said. Keitaro started to blush slightly.

"Well, I mean…Motoko's a very beautiful girl and I don't think I could be the _one_, you know, for her. I think…I think she's destined for a better match." Komachi was in tears.

"Oh! So noble! Willing to sacrifice for her! Only true love is so noble!" she wept.

"It's not like that, confound it, I'm trying to tell you something!" Keitaro said while Tsuruko just chuckled.

"Ho ho ho, Keitaro-kun, maybe you should think about it deeper and see what lies in your heart," she said. It was deep, yet ridiculous at the same time because she was laughing. Keitaro abruptly stood up.

"I'm going," he said and left. Komachi looked at Tsuruko.

"What's your assessment?" Tsuruko asked.

"It's obvious," Komachi replied. "He's taken."

Motoko's Room

Motoko for the third time in two days was fuming in her room. The ridiculous embarrassment of having Urashima's eating utensils in her mouth had not gone away – in fact she swore she still felt the burning pain where the chopsticks had made contact. This worried her less then Urashima's prowess in battle. She hadn't had time to properly think about it, but winning still hung in her mind and refused to depart from. It infected her thinking, her being, her very soul. She just _had_ to beat Urashima.

"And why?" she asked herself. What? Where had that come from? She answered her own question. "Why? Because he's a spineless weak man, and someone like that can't be allowed to defeat me." But didn't the victory prove that Urashima wasn't spineless nor weak? _He's only relying on his invincibility, nothing else, the wimp!_ Motoko thought. It seemed though part of her brain was bound to play the devil's advocate. She couldn't think of a reason why Urashima wasn't allowed to rely on his invincibility; after all, you could say Motoko relied on her years of training and her control of ki.

"But it's not fair!" Motoko whined out loud. No wait, not fair? Since when was life fair? She distinctly remember the time when her parents were taken from her; she remembered the hated man taking her sister away from her; she remembered the disgusting moment when Urashima had become the manager. Why was this any different? And she had been able to overcome all these difficulties, albeit sometimes not in the best way, but she had resolved to get used to Urashima and she did. Of course, this did not stop her from hitting him, bashing him, and trying multiple times to kill him, which he survived. Life was not fair, she was forced to admit that. _But of all the people it had to be **that** man who achieved immortality,_ she thought bitterly. But maybe the gods had granted him this, because he lacked so much in the other departments. _If you think about it, he's dumb, clumsy, perverted, not macho looking at all, and he is weak, so maybe if anyone was going to be immortal, it would have to be him,_ Motoko reflected. She suddenly got irritated; what was she doing thinking about who received immortality? No one was even sure that he was immortal, though the evidence was hard to ignore.

"A perverted man like him had to come and mess up my life," Motoko said with a angry smile on her face. But why should there be a smile? Was she happy that Urashima had come? "Well, my life would be a lot more dull without him," Motoko was forced to admit. Yet didn't Motoko need dull? Isn't the life of a swordsman rough, with many trials and routine? The fact of trials still caused her to believe that it was better that Urashima had come. She remembered back to the first time she met him – the groping panty thief. Then she remembered their first battle – he was so bad yet somehow he had tied!

"I was sick, though," Motoko muttered softly. Sick, but was it from love? She shuddered at the thought of being in love. How could she even consider it, after all then no one would be alive to receive the dojo and uphold the God Cry School. "No, it was not love," Motoko said resolutely, firmly without and doubt. She knew for a fact that when she first met him, she had not fallen for him. No…but what about now? She knew that sometimes when she woke up for training and just before she went to the roof (prior to changing into Keitaro's body) she peeked into Urashima's room and gazed upon his sleeping face that was only barely distinguishable in the darkness. Half the time her training had been ruined because she either stared at him too long or was distracted while practicing.

"Why did I do that?" she wondered aloud, and realized that when she knew she could coerce Urashima into practicing with her, she had been very excited though she would barely admit it to herself. She had told herself she was glad because perhaps he would become less perverted and clumsy, and more manly and stern. She almost smiled at the thought that he was good enough to beat her. _Wait, that's the reason I'm mad at him!_ She thought furiously, and became very confused. How did she manage to come to the same topic, and in the beginning be angry yet at the end be happy?

"It can't be…love?" Motoko asked herself once more. "I can't…I just can't be in love with…Keitaro?" This was the first time she had said Keitaro, and it felt weird on her lips. She mouthed it, but stopped for fear of being caught by her sister, or even worse Keitaro himself. Wait, she had just thought Keitaro again! "No…" she denied.

Hell

"WHAT! THE MECHANIC IS ON BREAK FOREVER!" Lucifer shouted. "GREAT, THIS REALLY IS HELL!"

A/N: I have only a couple things to say at the end of this chapter. First, I hope no one's offended by the hell reference. Second, I CELEBRATE FOR BREAKING FIFTY REVIEWS ON ONE STORY! (Goes off and plays some mad DDR in celebration). And third, I hope I had more description in this chapter (I felt it was better writing) but somehow towards section before the end it felt like everyone was out of character. Hmm…but anyways, the last part was good. Lastly, I hope you don't get mad that there was less chaos and more "mushy romance stuff, ick!" Ha ha…oh well…Please R&R!


	10. The Difficulties of A Harmony of One II

Harmony of One

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina, any of its characters, or any thing Love Hina-ish. Ken Akamatsu does. So thank him for creating this awesome manga series.

A/N: Woah it's chapter ten again! Okay, I admit a goof in the last chapter, as so honestly put by **Vermilion-ZERO**, so I'll try to rewrite it. Um…it's not all new, but most of it is from about the time Motoko comes in to "confess and kill" herself. The main thing changed is that Keitaro is slower to do things…um, though this will mean more angst ridden chapters. I don't want to disappoint anyone who thought it might be over soon, but I don't think anyone is ever sad that a story is longer, unless the chapters are just filler junk…so revised and revisited, let's do this again! Chapter 10! Please R&R!

"…" Denotes speech

_Italics_ Denotes thought

**Bold** Denotes sound effects

Certain Sounds:

**GOOMPH! **Means Fainting

**DOOONG!** Means Shock

:blah: Denotes time/time change

A scene/scene change is denoted by an extra line.

Chapter 10: The Difficulty of a Harmony of One Part II

:10:00 AM, February 21st:

Keitaro's Room

Keitaro was doing his own little session of meditation. He had a terrible weight upon his shoulders that would not go away, and it all came about of the little "conversation" that he had with Komachi and Tsuruko. Why had they confused him so?

"They must be wrong, how can Motoko ever like me?" Keitaro asked himself. Somewhere in his brain it noted that he said like and not love, but Keitaro didn't feel comfortable even _saying_ the word love. His very kind nature would not allow him to simply reject anyone who liked him, and though he thought he loved Naru, right now he couldn't even have told you what was his favorite food dish.

"Perhaps if she really does like me, I should just accept it and go with someone who I know is like that," Keitaro mused silently. No! He hit himself on the head – how could he ever forget about Naru? But yet he can't forget about Motoko either. Every time he looked in the mirror or in a reflection from a window he saw Motoko looking back at him! She would never leave him, and it seemed permanently never. _They must be wrong, she cannot like me like that!_ Keitaro thought wearily. He had been telling the truth, though. First of all he believed that Motoko couldn't and wouldn't because she deserved someone better. _After all, I'm only a loser who can't even get into Todai after his third try!_ Keitaro thought bitterly. He also admitted to himself that Motoko would lean towards the way of the sword rather than give her life up and marry him. He felt shivers go down his spine as he thought of marriage. _If I actually married someone like Motoko that would be a wonderful thing,_ Keitaro thought. He felt that the nobility and grace in Motoko besides her physical beauty was very appealing, though he wouldn't tell her that in a million years. Keitaro had already fallen for Naru, but had he fallen for Motoko?

"No…" he said, though he didn't quite believe it himself. "I…care…" he admitted, but like Motoko he had a difficult time of admitting things to himself. Because admitting this might lead to dangerous consequences. He could admit that Naru might not feel anything for him – he was okay with that. Okay, he wasn't, but it was a bigger possibility than Motoko liking him. Even if she came right up to him and said it, he would have a big problem with believing her.

(A/N: New-ness abounds in unbelievable ways right here! Basically, new stuff below.)

"It's just like that; it is impossible," he told himself. He chuckled, scratched his head and stood up. "Maybe I'll go see Motoko about the test tomorrow," he said. Feeling slightly assured, he headed towards his door to leave his room when Motoko slid open the door and entered.

"Oh! Urashima…" she said when she noticed that he was about to leave. "Um…can I talk to you?" Keitaro, weary, nodded and sat down.

"Do you want any tea?" he asked, going over to the water boiler and getting some for himself. Motoko shook her head. _I feel warm enough already,_ she thought ironically. She had once decided long ago, around the time that her sister had been taken away from her, never ever to fall in love, and if she did she would commit seppuku. She didn't know why she hated it so much, but she could not fall in love. Love for her was something…unattainable, like forbidden treasure. She could reach out and get it, but the dangers inside might amount to consequences she would rather not have. What would happen to her sword skills? What about inheriting the dojo? She wanted that so much, and yet…she didn't know. Love had once been something far, far away, like that stars, but now it had revealed it's true nature and Motoko didn't like what she saw.

She fingered the short knife she was holding. Life was so so short and she had to have been cursed.

"So…" Keitaro said, coming back with two tea cups that he had brought despite Motoko's answer of no. He placed them on the table, one in front of him, and one in front of her. Motoko eyed hers, but ignored it and swallowed, trying to strengthen his resolve. "What do, uh, you want to talk about?" He picked his tea cup and almost dropped it trying to take a sip.

"I…" Motoko started, but stopped. She had decided two things early on: first that if she would ever fall in love, then she would kill herself. Nothing else was possible nor could be possible. And two – this was the hard part – she would tell the person of her admiration that she did before killing herself. Plainly committing seppuku was easy; honor was something bred into her that she could not rid, but matters of love were distant and she was unfamiliar so that she had to sit in her room for a very prolonged period before deciding to come to Keitaro. Nervous still, she had a hard time formulating the words, the three simple words that could change a life. _It may be fate,_ she thought glumly, _but it doesn't mean I like it_. She briefly wondered again how she had come to this point, but the passing thought disappeared as Keitaro stared at her with her own face, reminding her of what she seemed to feel: love. She hadn't just meditated for nothing – she **was **going to spill her guts, figuratively and literally.

"I…" Motoko started again, but oddly enough Keitaro stopped her.

"Look…I'm really sorry," Keitaro began. _Huh? What? No, you can't stop my flow!_ Motoko thought. "I know that I was being over-eager in this thing, but I just wanted to…I have something I absolutely must tell you." Motoko froze – did he mean to…? _No…_ she thought. _He couldn't…_

"You see, I know that we have had our differences, and that life has thrown us one heck of a curve ball. After, uh, having a discussion with your sister, it seems that things aren't going to be well for a while," Keitaro said. Motoko listened for the point without moving. Keitaro scratched his head and continued. "Look, I know we can't seem to get along, after all before this mess there were many things I did wrong and many things that I could have done to help, but perhaps that is after all why we got into this mess. Me being you hasn't helped nor has you being me. I have the most important test of my life tomorrow and you need to get back into school. I guess what I'm trying to say is that could we make up? You know, put aside our differences and be just friends?" Keitaro waited for an answer while Motoko released a breath she had been unaware she had been holding. She felt strangely disappointed and empty, but she knew what we she had to say. No, that wasn't quite right. She knew what she was going to say, even if it wasn't right.

"No," she stated, simply and firmly. _If I don't do this, I won't be able to do anything,_ Motoko thought while she watched Keitaro's face droop. Motoko began shaking again, and sweat started forming on her forehead. Again, Motoko was reserved – did she want to pronounce something so dear, so sacred to her and give it to this…man? Was he still a man, this immortal being? Motoko smiled inwardly, and it was the last smile she had for a long time. Swallowing yet again, she spoke. "N-No, but for a different reason, uh…K-Keitaro." Keitaro's attention snapped up. _Keitaro? When has she ever used that name? Does this…no…I just concluded earlier that it is impossible!_ _I refuse to accept it! _Keitaro thought nervously, but he was fated to be wrong once again.

"Look, I'll just say it once, because afterwards you won't see me again," Motoko said. "K-Keitaro (the word still felt strangely unfamiliar on her tongue, like a new food she had not quite attained the taste for), you see, I think…I know…that I…I…" She tried to breath, but felt like a huge ball was in her throat and steadily increasing in diameter. "I…I…love you, Keitaro." Keitaro almost winced at the words – he wanted to have a friendship to change back, and this blew him away. The words seemed to hang in the air, potent, alive, and seemingly refusing to disappear. Keitaro swallowed as well, silent, his own vocal cords threatening to cease to function. His mind, however, was not nearly as silent. _What! How can this be? Why must it be? I haven't done anything to deserve this! She's just too…too much! What should I say? Should I respond? Do I like her back? Perhaps this is the only way to switch back, but this seems wrong to say if I really like her. Okay, I admit that I wouldn't be too sad and perhaps even slightly overjoyed to be with her forever, though I would like my body back…NO! I can't respond, I'll die! Will she kill me?_ And etc. etc.

Motoko, now having revealed her feelings, continued with her proclamation of death. "I know that you cannot really love me back," she said. She paused, fighting the urge to just run out, but she continued to speak to Keitaro. "But that is all for the better since I have resolved the only way out is to commit seppuku." Motoko stood up, deciding that she had to do it now, before her resolve evaporated. Keitaro remained motionless, unblinking and not breathing for several seconds. _What should I do? Why has this…wait did she say seppuku! Oh NO! I must stop her now!_ With that, Keitaro stood up and jumped out his door.

"Where did she go?" he muttered to himself. "The roof! That's the only place she would go!" With all his strength, he raced up there, surprised at his own speed because in a couple of seconds he was there and Motoko was sitting with her abdomen exposed and a long knife in her hands. Only momentarily thinking that Motoko was also killing his body (He hadn't really thought about it before and even though Motoko did she still decided to kill herself since her honor was more important than the restoration of Keitaro's body.) Keitaro leapt in drawing a bokken from his hip and with a throw and aim he did not knew he possessed, he threw the wooden sword and tried to hit the knife out of Motoko's hand. As expected, Motoko was only momentarily stunned but she still retained her grip and shouted at Keitaro to leave.

"Go away, Urashima!" she shouted. Keitaro didn't seem hear anything except he noted with a sad smile that she had reverted to calling him Urashima. He reached Motoko and grabbed her wrist, trying to wring the knife from her hands, but Motoko pushed him away. With a firm resolve she gripped the knife and plunged it towards her own body. As the knife approached her she had a firm wish with her eyes closed that Keitaro would be happy, and ironically thought that even though he would still be stuck with her body it might be possible. **STAB!** Motoko felt blood gushing everywhere and she wondered briefly why there was little pain. Suddenly she opened her eyes as she felt a huge weight slump against her.

"Keitaro!" she exclaimed and knew with a sinking feeling of horror that she had stabbed Keitaro with her knife.

"Heh," he coughed, blood running down his cheeks from his mouth. "Don't worry, you can't kill me, I'm invincible," he said, smiling. He coughed more blood, then went limp.

"Keitaro!" Motoko cried.

For Keitaro, the obvious thing to him was that he had to jump in between the knife and Motoko – he couldn't let her kill herself! She was so young and had so much life left to live! He had a passing thought that he might die, but it had paled in comparison to the urge to save Motoko. After being stabbed, everything had become a blur for him. He vaguely remembered being carried through the Hinata-sou and riding an ambulance to the hospital. He recalled shadowy shapes of people that he only assumed were other residents and he could pull back the memory of the smell; that sickening smell of sterilization present in hospitals, though it was all a haze. He dreamed of fantastic stuff; he dreamed of death. He didn't know what was happening and the only dreams that he had were odd and he couldn't place anything nor anyone. But he did awake, and when he did it was violently. He sat up straight in his bed, panting heavily. It was dark, pitch black, and a quick glance at his watch revealed that it was around midnight. _Midnight…but of which day?_ He thought. Sadly his watch did not have the date – it was analog. He stayed sitting up in his bed for a while and waited for…something in the darkness. Keitaro heard a beeping characteristic of a heart monitor, but there was no light. _Either there are no windows or there are shades drawn,_ Keitaro thought. He tentatively reached behind him and felt the wound, but of course it was heavily bandaged. He stopped trying and decided it was worthless. _Might as well go back to sleep…_ he thought, and lay back down, causing the bed to creak slightly.

"Keitaro?" someone in the darkness asked. "Are you awake?"

"Who's that?" Keitaro asked. Suddenly a bright light exploded in his eyes and he had to close them. "Ah, my eyes!" he exclaimed, and suddenly he heard a shout of joy.

"You're awake!" And the next thing he knew was that someone was hugging him fiercely. Then he was released and he heard sobbing, but they were tears of joy.

"We thought you might never wake up!" Keitaro's eyes adjusted to the light and he saw Motoko weeping with her head on his legs. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she wept, happy and sorrowful at the same time. "Please forgive me!" Motoko continued to weep and Keitaro who was at that time very confused did not respond. But as Motoko continued to weep, Keitaro's feelings were stirred and he felt that he had to get Motoko to stop.

"Motoko! Don't worry! It's okay, it's okay!" Keitaro said, and Motoko stopped crying and looked up, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"R-really?" she asked. Keitaro found it odd that he saw himself staring back, tears in his eyes which is something he'd never do. It felt…unnatural, but knowing Motoko was there he nodded solemnly.

"Motoko, if I was angry why would I have jumped in between?" he asked. Motoko nodded sadly, but then grabbed Keitaro in a fierce embrace again.

"I'm so happy you're alive!" she said, and Keitaro this time blushed a deep red.

"Um…" he said, and Motoko quickly released him.

"I'm supposed to notify the doctor!" she exclaimed, and she ran out to do that. Soon, the doctor came in.

"And how are you feeling, ah, Miss Aoyama?" the doctor asked, glancing at his clipboard to see the name.

"Fine, how is it though?" Keitaro asked. The doctor began to explain.

"Well, you were very lucky, Miss Aoyama, because the knife did not penetrate any vital organs, though you…did lose a kidney. But don't worry, we removed it without any hitch, and you probably know you can live with only one kidney, though you should be more careful, for example not playing with juggling knives. You can expect to be up and about in about a week," the doctor said.

"Juggling knives?" Keitaro asked, and he looked at Motoko who turned her head away as she suddenly found the pattern on the wall an entrancing color. "Wait…a week! How long have I been in bed!" Keitaro asked worriedly. _What about the Todai entrance exams!_

"Only five days," the doctor said. "You should be feel lucky that you can get out in a week and a half with that wound. I'll come back later to check…you two probably want to _catch up_, eh?" While this had both parties blushing furiously, the doctor just chuckled and left the room. This led back to the feeling that was present in Keitaro's room previously.

"Look…K-Keitaro, I've been thinking…" Motoko started.

"Yes?" Keitaro responded.

"I…I know I said some things to you before, and…they're still true," Motoko said. Keitaro immediately started to become worried. Motoko noticed this, and she said "But this doesn't mean I will commit seppuku! I've learned, but what I have decided is that after you get better, I will leave and find residence elsewhere."

"What! Why!" Keitaro asked, still not 100 better so he could not think as clearly.

"I…I can't live in the same building of someone whom I love…it's…I just couldn't," Motoko said, not being able to give a satisfactory explanation. Keitaro racked his brain, and then responded.

"Look, Motoko, I…I really am very shocked and was very shocked when you came and told me _that_, but…I'm just very confused right now," Keitaro said. Motoko interrupted.

"I can't live there because you can't love me back, and I would not be able to do anything!" Motoko said, standing up suddenly. Keitaro didn't respond and the lone beeping of the heart monitor was the only noise that could be heard. Motoko slowly walked to the exit, but stopped and turned around to look back. The beeping continued for what seemed like an eternity. Yet soon the tension became so unbearable that Keitaro cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Motoko, I know it may be hard, but I couldn't stand you leaving, so could you please stay here? With me?" Keitaro asked. Motoko, on the edge of decision, didn't reply immediately but she did.

"I'm…very sorry, but I cannot, you see Keitaro, I have some things to prepare, but everyone doubtless by now has been notified and they can see you," Motoko said, and she left. The empty room seemed to threaten Keitaro and he looked away, but there was a mirror and he gazed longingly at the form of Motoko that seemed just as sad. Outside, Motoko was leaning against the door and was thinking hard. She didn't know what to do, but necessity pushed her to what she thought she ought to, so she left.

Hospital Stairwell

Naru, Su, Tsuruko, Shinobu, Kitsune, Komachi, Sakura, and Haruka marched up the stairs having received word from the doctor. Keitaro had woken up!

"I can't wait to see Sempai!" Shinobu said with delight, and she hugged her arms around herself. They all were glad that Keitaro had woken up and were chatting lightly, not really focused on what they were chatting about but chatting nonetheless. **BUMP!**

"Excuse me," Naru said, as she bumped into someone who muttered a reply and quickly left down the stairs. "Well, that was rude," Naru commented. She turned back to Kitsune to resume their conversation.

"Hey wasn't that our dead manager?" Kitsune asked. In the days of Keitaro's hospitalization, they had referred to Motoko as the "dead" manager, partly because it was funny, and partly to not even think about the fact that Keitaro might not wake up. A way that people often deal with serious and grave matter like this were to joke about them.

"Was it?" Naru asked. "Did anybody see?" Su raised a hand.

"Ooh! Ooh! I can go look!" Su said.

"Hey, I want to go to!" Sakura cried out, but Tsuruko shushed both of them.

"I will go and search for my sister," she said, and she turned around and walked down the stairs. The group watched her go down the stairs, and when she was out of sight, they looked up.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Haruka asked, and the troop continued to walk up the stairs.

Keitaro's Hospital Room

Keitaro tried to go back to sleep, but from the impending feeling of dismay he had and the anxiety that everyone else might come kept him awake. _What should I do? Do I love Motoko?_ His brain answered for him. _Yes._ But he wasn't sure that it was enough. Being the guy that he was he couldn't tell anyone that he loved them if he even had an inkling of a doubt – it just wasn't fair, he didn't want to play with anyone's emotions like that. He doubted that he could stop loving Naru, but in all honesty to himself he was getting more and more dispirited about Naru, because she didn't say anything. A hint, a word, anything was all he needed. Why was Naru so…reluctant, why would it be like this? The door banged open suddenly, causing Keitaro to turn around and look towards the door like any person when suddenly to his dismay he saw a brown-haired, green eyed girl enter. Morita Noriko!

"Aha, it's you!" she said, pointing an accusatory finger at Keitaro. Keitaro looked around, hoping for someone else to be there – did he have to deal with her himself? "I heard about it all!" Keitaro was taken aback; did she mean on the roof? Did anyone else even know about it?

"You got what you deserved!" she said, sticking her tongue out at her, obviously with no tact whatsoever considering that Keitaro had almost died. Morita Noriko looked around, though, ignoring Keitaro.

"Um…what are you doing?" Keitaro asked.

"Looking, for Keitaro-sama," she said.

"Oh," Keitaro said, but Noriko ignored him. Finally, after coming to a conclusion that Keitaro was not anywhere in the room and actually no one else was in the room, she turned to him.

"Where is he?" she asked with a reluctance that showed she would rather ask someone, anyone else. Keitaro was tempted to say "right here," but he definitely didn't want to confuse anyone else or let anyone else on the secret.

"I don't know," he answered honestly, because he didn't know where his body was. Noriko frowned and crossed her arms in frustration. Keitaro sighed and turned over, facing the wall where a mirror showed him Motoko again. He closed his eyes. He heard the door open and he assumed that Noriko had left.

"Sempai!"

"Keitaro!" **THUD!** Keitaro suddenly felt a heavy weight land on him and a piercing pain shot through his back because of it.

"Ow!" he moaned, and when he turned around he saw Naru, Sakura, Komachi, Su, Kitsune, Shinobu, and even Haruka!

"Aunt Haruka!" Keitaro exclaimed. **SLAP!**

"Haruka-san!" Naru cried out in alarm. "You can't hit him!" While Keitaro was rubbing his face, Haruka suddenly realized she had hit an injured person.

"Sorry, reflex," she apologized, but Keitaro didn't care much.

"Hello everyone, I'm sorry I can't get up, but—" Keitaro said, but Naru interrupted.

"Don't worry about it, we're just glad you woke up! We thought you might have…" She didn't finish, not wanting to say the word die, but Keitaro did.

"Died? Don't worry, I'm invincible!" Keitaro joked, and this caused a nervous laughter. The laughter died down, however, and no one really said anything for a while. The uncomfortable silence was only broken by the door opening and Tsuruko entering. She paused as everyone looked at her, since there was nothing else to do.

"Hello," she said waving. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Keitaro said, but Tsuruko shook her head in a scolding manner.

"Uh uh uh, it seems like you are very over optimistic, you just got stabbed in the back!" This comment spurred on many others and soon a comfortable conversation struck up.

"Yeah, Keitaro-kun, are you really okay?" Komachi asked. Keitaro nodded, top which Su and Sakura in an almost scary synchronization jumped up and shouted,

"Yippee!" They both landed on Keitaro which painfully reminded Keitaro of the time he broke his leg, though this was much, much, **much** worse.

"YEOW!" he squeaked, and Su and Sakura froze for a moment, still on top of Keitaro they looked at him.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked. Komachi and Naru, who had fainted now sprung into action.

"Get off!" Naru shouted, pulling on Su's leg. Komachi got Sakura's but they both held on the side of the bed.

"Hey! We want to stay with Keitaro!" they moaned loudly. After a brief tussle, Komachi and Naru slumped to the floor exhausted. It was around midnight, after all.

"Yay! We won!" Sakura cheered, and they jumped up and down on the bed, causing an inexplicable pain to jolt through his body.

"Stop Su!" Keitaro managed to say. She did, but Sakura jumped one more time causing Keitaro to fly off the bed.

"Catch him!" Kitsune cried, and Tsuruko calmly caught Keitaro in her arms.

"Ho ho, it's just like when my little sister fell off the roof," Tsuruko said, and Keitaro shakily stood up, walked to a wheelchair and sat down.

"Yay!" Su and Sakura were still jumping on the bed.

"So when can you leave?" Naru asked.

"A week," Keitaro answered. "Um…how did the exam go?" Naru, now on a familiar topic started to speak very fast indeed.

"It actually went very well," she said. "Motoko did well too, she said. Hey, Tsuruko ne-chan, did you find her?" Keitaro's ears perked up.

"No, she had run off by the time I had run down the stairs," Tsuruko said. Keitaro's face fell unnoticeably to everyone including himself.

"Oh, but anyways, Motoko did very well. I'd laugh if she got in as you," Naru said, suddenly realizing this situation. "It would truly prove how dumb you are."

"Hey! Dumb? Moi? Need I remind you about that B?" Keitaro asked. Naru snorted.

"Fluke!" she exclaimed, and Keitaro twitched an eye.

"There is no such thing as a fluke when it comes to this!' Keitaro said, and he frowned at Naru.

"Yeah, except for the fact that it's multiple choice," Naru commented. Seeing the high tension between the two, Shinobu but in.

"Ah…Sempai, I made you some food," she offered, giving Keitaro a brown paper bag.

"Oh, thanks Shinobu-chan!" Keitaro said, and she beamed brightly. Keitaro started to put the bag aside, thought better of it and started to eat.

"Food!" Su cried out in joy. She was held back by Shinobu this time.

"Su!" Shinobu cried. "That's for Sempai! You can have some when we get back!" Su stopped struggling and smiled.

"All right!" she said.

"So Keitaro…what really happened?" Kitsune asked as Keitaro ate.

"Hmm?" Keitaro asked back. He was hoping to avoid this touchy subject.

"Well…all we know is that _someone_ got hurt playing with knives, but we doubt it was really that," Kitsune said.

"Ah…" Keitaro didn't reply immediately. "I don't really want to talk about it…"

"I'll tell you!" Noriko shouted coming in.

"Au!" Shinobu cried, instantly recognizing who it was, her mortal enemy and love rival. No one else did, however.

"Um…who are you?" Komachi asked. Everyone else had the same question.

"What? You don't know the number one fan of Urashima Keitaro!" Noriko cried out in dismay.

"Eh?" Sakura asked. Noriko fumbled and took out her wallet.

"Look! I have a picture!" she said, and indeed there was a small picture of Keitaro she had taken who knows when. "I also have at home a lovely 4 feet by five feet blow up of him! I once snagged a napkin he wiped his mouth on, and his picture is printed on my pillow case, is the background to my computer, he's on my t-shirts and even printed on my panties! I can show you!" Noriko cried out.

"GAH!" Naru, Kitsune, and Haruka cried out. "Don't show us don't show us!" Su, for better or for worse, was curious.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yup!" Noriko said. She suddenly changed her demeanor. "Wait, but I can tell you what that horrid horrid girl has been doing behind my back!" She again motioned towards Keitaro who only trembled in fear – first in fear of Noriko and second in fear of the other girls finding out what happened.

"Don't worry, it's really nothing…" Keitaro started. Noriko glared at him so badly that he couldn't have felt any worse if you had stuck an arrow through his arm at that point.

"Lies!" she cried, and Keitaro cringed again. She was true, but did it have to come out this way? _Perhaps if **I** tell them, it will be better than the story being related by someone who hates me,_ Keitaro thought. But as he did, it was too late for Noriko had already started talking.

"I was innocently spying on the utterly handsome Keitaro-sama (here her eyes glazed over) in a perfect as usual pose, sitting in his room. The view was perfect and I was in total bliss, but then that…that girl (she still couldn't say "Motoko")! She must have fazed his mind, because she left and visited…that girl! Then he proceeded to with a total lack of appreciation for my feelings or anyone else's do something absolutely horrid. That girl not only ruined my perfect bliss I was in watching Keitaro-sama (the glaze came over her eyes again) she had the nerve seduce the pure Keitaro-sama into confessing to that girl! (Naru gasped) Then, that girl must have only abused poor Keitaro-sama, because the next thing I knew was he ran away and tried to kill himself. Luckily, that girl (she pointed a finger again at Keitaro) must have felt some remorse and stopped Keitaro-sama from killing himself, but she got what she deserved, that stupid evil seductress!" Noriko ended in this tone, accusing Keitaro with every nerve, every word she spoke was aimed at making Keitaro look bad. Okay, in truth it wasn't Keitaro but Motoko, but you get the idea.

"Seductress?" Kitsune asked, raising an eyebrow in her expert manner that Keitaro feared.

"N-no, it was nothing like that!" Keitaro said.

"It was it was! Don't deny it, you hateful person! Out of everybody on the planet, I hate you the most!" Noriko proclaimed loudly, and Keitaro felt an inexplicable feeling of intense sadness. He had never felt like this before, such intense hatred, and partly due to his personality while he was a failure at getting any girls, being smart, pr getting into Todai (basically at life), no one actually **hated** him so much. The time when he and Naru had a big fight after they had both failed, her for the first time and him for the third came no where near the hatred Keitaro felt passed through this one person to him. What was her problem anyways?

"Look…" Keitaro tried to say, but Noriko ignored him.

"Do any of you know where Keitaro-sama went?" Noriko said. Tsuruko answered.

"He left already – I suspect feelings of guilt," Tsuruko said as much to Keitaro as to Noriko. Noriko's face lit up.

"Really? I have to go find him!" Noriko exclaimed, and she finally left. Naru closed the door and locked it behind her.

"Finally!" Keitaro cried in relief, and he felt he could finally breathe without being accused that his very existence was a threat.

"So…is it true?" Kitsune asked. Keitaro made a double take – he had forgotten about this little fact of confession by Motoko.

"Uh…maybe?" Keitaro replied. Tsuruko sighed.

"Look, we know it's true, Keitaro-kun, my dear little sister confessed to you that morning!" Tsuruko exclaimed. Keitaro reddened slightly.

"Aha!" Sakura exclaimed.

"He's turning red!" Su shouted.

"IT'S TRUE!" they both yelled.

"Enough enough already!" Keitaro cried out, trying to calm them down. "Yes, it's true, she did confess. What Morita Noriko said is true, she confessed and tried to kill herself which is how I ended up here." Kitsune, Tsuruko, and the rest were dumbfounded. Okay, it's not like they wanted Motoko to die (and kill of Keitaro's body) either, but to put yourself in front of the knife without _any_ thought of death…it was unbelievable! _Just simply unbelievable!_ Naru thought. _If I tried to kill myself would he do the same for me?_ Naru asked herself.

"Wow, that's really cool, Keitaro-kun!" Komachi said. "I'm SO glad you saved her!" And Komachi showed her appreciation with a big chaste hug.

"Eep!" Keitaro squeaked. When Komachi let go, Sakura and Su were whining.

"I want to do that too!" Sakura said. "Unfair that only Komachi gets to hug Keitaro!" With that, she proceeded to follow her own whims of appreciation, hugging Keitaro really tight.

"Sakura…you'll…pop…the…stitches!" Keitaro managed to choke out as Sakura grabbed Keitaro with all her might.

"Me! Me!" Su cried, but Haruka stopped her.

"That's enough," she said. Su pouted and said,

"Awww! Not fair!" The doctor proceeded to enter in at this point, causing everyone to look at his direction.

"Oh, everyone's here! Good, but I'm sorry, it's about time you folks headed on home. You can't stress Miss Aoyama too much!" The doctor laughed.

"Ok, we'll leave very soon," Tsuruko said.

"Sure, oh, and Miss Aoyama? Here are the pills you should take. They're just basic painkillers, nothing too strong." The doctor put a bottle of pills on the desk beside Keitaro's bed.

"Don't worry, she should be up and about in a week, at most. She already seems better already, considering she managed to get out of the bed. Now I have to go home and sleep, and so should everyone else in this room, so good night!" The doctor waved and left.

"We should leave, c'mon Su, Sakura," Haruka ordered, and everyone said goodbye, promising to visit tomorrow. Shinobu also promised to bring more food to Keitaro and when they all left, Keitaro fell into a blessed dreamless sleep.

:Saturday 28th of February:

Motoko's Room

"Do you want to go and visit?" Tsuruko asked. Motoko shook her head. Tsuruko sighed deeply, because every time she asked Motoko had declined going. After finding out that he was okay and would be out soon, Motoko had withdrawn all contact with Keitaro, and the other residents as well, because she didn't want them telling him about her.

"Why not, little sister?" Tsuruko asked. Motoko didn't answer, and Tsuruko who had been standing next to a sitting Motoko, sat down as well. She prepared to tell Motoko something which they had promised not to – that they knew about the confession.

Last night on the journey home they had all discussed it and were either happy, disappointed, or just confused about the confession that Motoko had made. Naru especially had been disappointed, and though she wouldn't tell anyone else it was mainly in herself. She had spiritually beaten herself up because even Motoko could confess while she couldn't, Motoko the "I hate all males, they should all just die" advocator. She had been the last one to accept Keitaro, but now she was the first one to confess? Anyways, they decided it was something they would wait for Motoko to tell them, but after multiple tries to force the truth out, she had locked herself in her room and kept silent.

"I know, little sister," Tsuruko said. Motoko's stolid exterior flinched for only a moment, but Tsuruko picked it up. "Aha! I know what you're thinking. Do you think I could have been your sister for so long without me knowing you deep down inside? I know you confessed to Keitaro-kun!" This time it wasn't a mere flinch that Motoko released – her whole body twitched and she fell over.

"What!" Motoko asked. Her expression was so comical and so like Keitaro that Tsuruko started laughing.

"Dear sister," she said, laughing, "you didn't think you could hide it from me, did you!" Motoko looked down at herself sheepishly.

"Well…I thought Keitaro might keep it a secret…" Motoko said. "But I guess that there was no reason to…plus he would bow to anybody's whim, since he has no spine!" Tsuruko laughed.

"Motoko, perhaps you should visit him. He's coming home soon," Tsuruko said. Motoko frowned.

"I…can't," she said. "In fact, when he returns home, I plan to leave. I'm going to go training somewhere in the mountains." Tsuruko clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"No you're not, I won't let you," she said. "You should be here, since you were the one that put him in, and that's final!" Her sister stood up and her eyes glinted with the "evil" eye.

"Okay, okay!" she said. Tsuruko calmed down.

"You know, he's probably contemplating right now what he should do. He won't do anything so brash. Believe me, Motoko-chan," Tsuruko said.

Keitaro's Hospital Room

"I wonder what's for lunch?" Keitaro asked himself.

A/N: Okay, I hope this chapter was more satisfactory, but I bet that the story has now be lengthened for about five chapters! Well…actually not, but this is lighter and seems to me a better revision. I thank the people who bothered to review and tell me honestly that the last one was a bad chapter, that is what reviews are for! Please R&R!


	11. Keitaro comes home to confess?

Harmony of One

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina, any of its characters, or any thing Love Hina-ish. Ken Akamatsu does. So thank him for creating this awesome manga series.

A/N: The story goes marching on to chapter 11! In case you didn't read it, I revised chapter 10 so if you read this and you are going "huh!" then you should re-read ten – it's updated and better than ever! So after that revision which hopefully improved the story, I also realized re-reading my stories is a good idea. I mean, I usually glance them over but I don't like to re-read them entirely, so I should more often. Oh well, but please R&R!

"…" Denotes speech

_Italics_ Denotes thought

**Bold** Denotes sound effects

Certain Sounds:

**GOOMPH! **Means Fainting

**DOOONG!** Means Shock

:blah: Denotes time/time change

A scene/scene change is denoted by an extra line.

Chapter 11: Keitaro Comes Home to…Confess?

:March 5th, Friday:

It had been so long since Keitaro had seen the familiar stone steps he now climbed towards the Hinata-sou. The springtime pollen affected his sinuses, but he was happy, yes, happy that he was coming home! Everyone had been told he would come home tomorrow, but the doctor had unexpectedly let him return earlier.

"You have amazing recuperation ability! I've never seen it before!" the doctor had commented, amazed at Keitaro's report. Keitaro had kept silent about his invincibility, however.

"Oh really? Ha ha!" Keitaro had responded. But now he had hoped that he could surprise them. He stopped at the Tea House first.

"Haruka-san!" Keitaro called. No one responded. "Hmm, where could she have gone?" He tried again. "Haruka-san!" He walked through the building looking for something. No one was there.

"Awww, perhaps I should have called first," Keitaro said, his face turning into a pout. He walked behind the counter when suddenly something smacked into his head. **BAAAM!**

"Who are you?" Haruka asked, violently kicking the poor writhing Keitaro on the ground.

"Ouch!" Keitaro grunted. "It's (oof!) me! (OW!) Ke-keitaro! (YEOW!)"

"Oh," Haruka said, and stopping her vicious assault, she peered down at him. "Sorry, I thought you were a robber."

"No…problems," Keitaro replied, standing back up and stretching his back. He rubbed his side where Haruka had kicked him so painfully.

"So, how are you doing? Last time I visited, you were dying," Haruka said. She offered him a band-aid.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, Aunt Haruka," Keitaro said. **SLAP!** "Haruka-san!"

"Better," Haruka said. "At least you said the right name finally."

"I said the right name when I came in here!" Keitaro protested.

"That won't help you if you don't remember to say it in my presence," Haruka said. "Why did you come here, anyways?"

"Um…I thought you might have a cake," Keitaro said. "I was wondering if I could have it, you know, since as a surprise…"

"Cake? What is this, a pastry shop? Why don't you bake it yourself?" Haruka asked. "You make good cakes, I hear." Keitaro flinched.

"But…you know, a tea shop sometimes has cakes too," Keitaro said. Haruka threw him a glance that made him back away. "Fine, fine, I'll make one. Do you have any eggs?"

"Go get it yourself!" Haruka said, and she threw Keitaro onto the street.

"Rats," Keitaro muttered.

Hinata-sou

"There's nothing to do!" Kitsune sighed loudly, over the sound of the TV droning in the background.

"And the Stallion _Plunger_, takes the lead!" the TV announced. Kitsune turned it off angrily.

"Still losing?" Naru asked, coming in.

"Hey, enough of those comments!" Kitsune objected. "I didn't even bet, anyways."

"Woah! Kitsune didn't bet on a horse race! Wait…then why were you watching?" Naru asked. Kitsune shrugged her shoulders.

"Force of habit?" she conjectured. **GOOMPH! **Naru fainted.

"Force of habit! You make me sick, why don't you learn something constructive, like playing the violin or something? Or perhaps you could learn to draw or maybe get a job?" Naru shouted.

"Chill!" Kitsune said in defense. "It's just that there's nothing else to do with Keitaro gone."

"Don't worry, he's due back tomorrow," Naru said. Kitsune noticed something…odd in her voice; it seemed to contain a longing of some kind.

"Oh? Do I hear some regret in that comment?" Kitsune asked playfully. "I thought you would want your…you know…"

"NO! He's is nothing like that!" Naru denied.

"Is he? How come then, you felt so depressed when you heard why he got stabbed? Is it because Motoko beat you to the punch?" Kitsune, playing the devil's advocate and psychologist all in one, asked.

"…no…well…maybe?" Naru said. Kitsune smiled inwardly and shifted to a more comfortable position on the couch.

"Maybe sounds like yes to me," she said. Naru flinched.

"No! It…really is nothing…" she said. Naru was in conflict with her own self because what Kitsune said was very true. _Perhaps if I had more courage…but it's too late. Or is it? If I confessed to him when he got back…confess? Bah!_

"Nothing is always something, and then it really means a lot," Kitsune told Naru.

"What?" Naru asked, confused by her statement.

"What I mean is when people say something is nothing they really mean that it is a lot of something," Kitsune said. "Anyways, so what are you going to do about it?"

"About what?" Naru asked, inflamed. "Nothing is nothing!" Kitsune waggled her finger in Naru's face.

"Uh uh uh, don't lie to me. I know when something's up! Just like with Seta-san!" Kitsune said. Naru turned red.

"Seta-san is completely different! He's cool, he's smart, and dreamy! Keitaro is…well Keitaro, dumb, perverted and clumsy!" Naru exclaimed. Kitsune had a look that told Naru Kitsune didn't believe her. "What?" Kitsune started to giggle. "What!" Naru had begun to get annoyed.

"Well it's funny that you describe him that way because that's the guy you want to…you know… do "that" with," Kitsune said. Naru blushed even more.

"Never!" she cried, and with an angry walk left the room.

"She'll do it," Kitsune murmured to herself. She turned on the TV.

"Great," she said after surfing the channels. "Now I'm bored again."

Tea Shop

"I'm done!" Keitaro exclaimed in triumph as he brought out a delicious looking chocolate cake. It was worthy of professionals. Keitaro took a tiny taste. "Yum! This is the best one yet!"

"Let me try," Haruka said. Keitaro took the cake away, however.

"No! This is not for you, it's for the girls when I walk up those stairs!" Keitaro said. Haruka glared at him.

"I let you use the kitchen and this is the thanks I get?" Haruka said. She punched Keitaro in the face and stole a piece of the cake. "This is really good." Keitaro, meanwhile in a smoking pile on the ground mumbled something. "You should make me a couple and I'll sell it in the Tea Shop."

"Ow…." Keitaro groaned. He stood back up, slowly and shakily. "Hey, you've ruined it!"

"No I haven't, now go!" Haruka said, and she kicked Keitaro out. **BOOMP!**

"Oh well, I guess I have to take it them like this…" Keitaro said, and he walked up the stairs to the Hinata-sou. The stone steps felt good beneath his feet and when he reached the door he felt like he was home. He opened the door.

"I'm back!" he cried. Kitsune, who was sleeping, only snored loudly and turned on the couch. Keitaro felt disappointed. Did no one care? Maybe he was only the manager, but shouldn't the tenants out of respect come greet him? He drooped his head in desperation.

"Sempai!" Keitaro heard Shinobu cry. "Oh, what are you doing back!" Shinobu rushed over.

"Yes, I'm back from the hospital a day earlier than expected," Keitaro said. "Though the doctor said to take it easy." Shinobu was ecstatic and grabbed Keitaro's hand.

"I'm so glad you're back, Sempai!" Keitaro laughed when Kitsune woke up.

"Who's so…hey, Keitaro's back!" she exclaimed when she saw him. She immediately got up and hit him. "You should have told me. Hey, everyone, Keitaro's back!"

"Keitaro?" Su asked, popping her head in. "Keitaro! Yay!♥" She rushed over and jumped kicked him in the face. **BAM!**

"Su! What are you doing to a recently recovered man!" Naru shouted, who had come down as well.

"Hey everyone!" Keitaro said, waving. He got up and rubbing the place where Su had kicked him, he offered the cake he had made. "I thought since I wasn't here for so long we could eat this cake or something like that…" He trailed off as he realized he hadn't made any good plan of what to do.

"You fool, we have a special party that we were going to set up later!" Kitsune chuckled, and she brought out a party ball. "Might as well start now!" **POP!** She pulled it open and confetti fell to the ground. Shinobu suddenly appeared with lots of food and Su brought out one her newest inventions.

"It's the party robot!" she said. "It can do everything from disco lights to smooth jazz, and it shoots out party streamers, see?" She pressed a button. **BAMMMM!** A huge rocket flew out of the robot and exploded, shedding confetti everywhere. **WHOOSH!** Without any warning, however, the robot suddenly began to shoot out multiple missiles.

"Ahhhhh!" everyone screamed, dodging as best as they could.

"Su! Turn it off, turn it off!" Keitaro cried.

"Myuuuuuhhhh!" Tama-chan shouted in fear.

"I'm trying!" Su said through the exploding missiles.

"EVIL CUTTING TECHNIQUE!" **KABLAAMM!** The Hinata-sou shook as the robot exploded into pieces and the dust settled. Keitaro stood up tentatively.

"Is everything okay?" he asked. **BOOM!** One last rocket blew up in his face, blackening his face and causing his hair to stand up on end.

"Idiot, you should have waited longer!" Naru scolded, and she slapped him on the head. Keitaro coughed out the dust and mumbled an apology.

"Sorry," he said. Everyone began to stand up, coughing. "Was that Motoko-chan just now?"

"It probably was, unless you know someone else who can do the evil cutting technique," Kitsune said. She picked a piece of confetti on her sleeve and threw it on the ground.

"Well where is she?" Keitaro asked. Everyone shrugged their shoulders.

"Oo, I know!" Su said, raising her hand.

"Yes, Su?"

"In her room! She told me that she wouldn't come to see you!" Su said.

"Why?" Keitaro asked.

"Be-because…ah what was it again?" Su said, putting her finger in her mouth. Keitaro fainted.

"I'm going to find her," he said, and walked up the stairs. Everyone watched him go plodding up the stairs.

"Don't worry, I'll be right back. I just need to tell her something," Keitaro said, and he disappeared to the second floor.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Kitsune said, breaking the silence of his departure and nudging Naru. "Go and see what he says!" Naru turned to look at her best friend.

"I would never do that!" she exclaimed. "Whatever it is, I'm sure we can trust what he's saying is supposed to be private and won't do anyone any harm." She walked over to the cake and cut herself a piece. "Anyone want some?" Su jumped over.

"I do!" she said, and Naru cut her a piece. Kitsune sighed, then walked over. Shinobu followed as well.

Motoko's Room

**KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!**

"Who is it?" Motoko asked. Keitaro answered timidly.

"Motoko-chan, can I come in?" he asked. Motoko, inside, sighed slowly and responded with a yes. Keitaro opened the door, and closed it.

"Ah…greetings, Motoko-chan," Keitaro said, bowing.

"What's so formal?" Motoko asked. "No need to bow." She was sitting on her mattress and motioned for him to sit on the floor. "Why are you here?" Sitting down, Keitaro swallowed and answered.

"Motoko-chan, we need a discussion about…well, about this," Keitaro said, and he motioned towards his own body in front of him. "This can't go on…I…I don't know, I feel odd in a way."

"Odd? That is a mere understatement to what I feel," Motoko said. "Yet we will have to deal with it as anything else that comes our way. Urashima…"

"No," Keitaro interjected. "It's not anything else, we've tried to rid our differences, and apparently this has sparked strong reactions…" he trailed off. Motoko, who had been trying to forget that she had confessed her love to the "man" sitting right in front of her, was now reminded painfully of this fact. Her face started to break but she willed herself to stay strong.

"Ke-Keitaro…I…"

"Don't worry, Motoko-chan, I'm not angry, but we should do something about our situation. It's not normal," Keitaro said. Motoko's façade broke down.

"Keitaro, I can't do it anymore!" she cried. She wanted to have died that time, she didn't want this thing that people called love…it was worse than any sickness she had had, it was more painful than any of the training she had done. She wanted to end it all, happiness seemed not to be in her destiny. "I can't, I can't!" she sobbed, grabbing Keitaro's shirt and sobbing into it.

"I…I know," Keitaro only responded, and he stopped saying anything more. There was only the sound of Motoko crying, the sobbing wrenching Keitaro's heart. Keitaro could barely review what he wanted to do now, what he had planned, which caused a feeling of uncertainty to surge and he almost broke away from Motoko and ran out the door. _I can't be so cruel…_ he thought slowly. He had planned to come here and respond to Motoko with "I love you too" even if he didn't mean it entirely. After much deliberation while he was lying on the hospital bed, he had decided that he had to take care of Motoko who was such a frail creature.

_But wouldn't it be worse if I lied to her?_ Keitaro thought now. _Am I so base as to play with people's emotions, their feelings?_ He wanted to really love Motoko 100 but every time he tried…Narusegawa popped into his brain. Her smile, her person, and even her punches. But then often as he was forced to move "his" long hair out of his eyes, he was reminded of Motoko. What was she to him? Not merely a tenant; in fact nobody at the Hinata-sou was like that, but she was something…more. He had begun to become comfortable with the thought that he might be stuck…no that wasn't the right word. _Gifted is probably more appropriate,_ he thought. _Motoko-chan doesn't deserve someone like me, I should just say no…but then I'll be stuck like this forever!_ Could he and Motoko every achieve that "Harmony of One" if he rejected her now? She would hate him forever!

"Keitaro, I…I love you," Motoko said, stopping briefly from her tears to tell him this, and she grabbed him with both arms. _Decision decision, what should I say now? I hate myself!_ Keitaro thought miserably. _Resolve, resolve, I need resolve._ He knew what he should do…no what he was telling himself what he should do. Whether it was right or not, he guessed he would find out later. He decided to confess. This was what he came back for, after all.

"Motoko…" Keitaro started. She looked into his eyes, and he flinched, almost drained of his resolve because he saw himself. Of course his eyes were tear-stained among other things, but it was his body.

"I'm sorry I put this on you," Keitaro continued, using pure will to go on. "I…I haven't responded yet, which is really cruel, so I'll say it now." Motoko's eyes searched into his own and he felt like he was exposed. _Should I? I…_

"Motoko, I-I love you too," Keitaro said. These words had the greatest effect on Motoko as words have never had. She stopped crying and released him.

"R-really?" she asked. She couldn't believe it. What about Narusegawa? "You're lying, what about Naru?" she asked. She didn't want to ask it, but it slipped out. If he said that he loved her as well…

"I…don't feel anything for her anymore…" Keitaro said, though with a hint of resignation that Motoko did not catch. He felt almost as bad as when he first lied to Shinobu that he was a Todai student. "I don't feel anything anymore…"

"Oh Keitaro!" Motoko cried and she embraced him once more.

Hallway outside of Motoko's room

Naru was feeling sick. Not just from the incredible richness of the cake she had just ate, though she had told Kitsune that was the reason. Not from the feeling of guilt that she had just peeped in to a very private conversation. No, she felt sick because she had heard Keitaro say he didn't feel _anything_ for her. It was a vague term, but she knew what it meant. She had been too late. Too late to…no, it was over, and there was no more use in her saying anything. She wanted to punch something, but she felt that she would throw up before she could. She was the only one standing outside to Motoko's room still, everyone else had left to go…somewhere. Yes, that was it…she needed to go…home. _Home sounds very good to me,_ she thought, and slowly plodded her way to her room.

Secret meeting place of the Hinata-sou

"Kitsune, what should we do!" Shinobu cried. Kitsune slammed her fist down on the floor.

"Darn it! Curse that insensitive jerk, saying things like that!" Kitsune said, angry at Keitaro for once in her life.

"But Kitsune, Sempai didn't know that we were outside listening to his, ah, conversation," Shinobu said.

"Yah, he's real dumb about those things," Su said. Kitsune, Su, and Shinobu were the only ones left to fix up this whole mess.

"But why did he have to go confess right then when he got home? Why not wait?" Kitsune said. "Darn it darn it DARN IT!" Kitsune was ready to kill someone.

"Sempai…" Shinobu said softly, sad at her own situation but remembering Naru's reaction, she was sticking to the topic. "Kitsune, how can we protect Naru?" Kitsune thought for a while.

"Well…I don't know if that idiot was lying or not. I can't believe he would give up so easily…unless he really has fallen for Motoko. Then we can't do anything about that," Kitsune said.

"But…but…Sempai wouldn't lie!" Shinobu cried.

"What about when he first came here?" Kitsune said, snorting. She was ready to lay out all of Keitaro's faults. "He lied and proved how much of a pervert he was, darn him!" She smacked the floor again. "If only Motoko wasn't so pretty…" Su hopped up and down.

"Oo, like this?" she said, holding up an ugly drawing with a hastily scribbled name Motoko next to it.

"Not now, Su!" Shinobu cried. Everybody was at a lost at what to do.

"Hmm…" Kitsune mused. "The way I see it, the only reason he said that was to placate Motoko. I'm going to guess those two, with the way they are, will want to keep it under wraps, so we have to pretend like we didn't hear anything. But what will do is make Keitaro own up to saying it, and then (away from Motoko, of course) make him confess that he only said he didn't like Naru because he was trying to be nice, which is probably why he did say it."

"That could work!" Shinobu said.

"We can't tell, Naru, however," Kitsune said. "Because then she'll probably get fussy and angry, so let's go back down and act normal. Normal, okay?"

"Yup!" Su cried. Shinobu nodded. They left and went back to the living room.

Living Room

Keitaro came down the stairs, trying to wipe his shirt clear of any tear stains that Motoko had left. With every step he expected some sort of eternal punishment to smite him. He had promised (thankfully, Motoko suggested it) to not say anything to any of the other tenants. She wanted to tell them themselves. When he got to the bottom of the stairs, Kitsune, Su, and Shinobu were there.

"Where's Narusegawa?" he asked. Kitsune, who seemed preoccupied, answered hurriedly.

"I don't know, I think she may have gone somewhere. You should check her room while we continue to check down here," she said. Everyone was indeed looking for her. Motoko came down.

"What's happening?" she asked. Keitaro answered.

"Narusegawa left, but no one knows where!" Keitaro answered. "I'm going to go and look in her room to see if she's there."

"Don't bother, she's gone," Haruka said, entering through the doors. "Before she left, she stopped by and told me to give you this." She handed a stained note to Keitaro. "And I don't think you should read it out loud." Keitaro took it, and stood there with it in his hands.

"Haruka-san, where did she go?" Kitsune asked, but Haruka shrugged her shoulders.

"Beats me," she said. Kitsune swore.

"Darn it!" she cursed. "Shinobu, Su, come with me!" With that, the trio left. Keitaro glanced at Motoko who went back up the stairs and Keitaro unfolded the note.

_Dear Keitaro,_

_I'm sorry that I was so latent in telling you things, and that I've always hit you. I'm writing this because I wish to have your forgiveness. Please forgive me, Keitaro. I want to thank you for studying with me all the time and spending your time with me. I'm also writing to tell you that it's all my fault for all of this, so don't blame yourself. I heard you confess to Motoko and I wish you well. I'm sorry, I'm sorry Keitaro. Please forgive me. I wanted to say I love you too for such a long time now…but it's all in the past. Goodbye, Keitaro._

_Narusegawa Naru._

As Keitaro read, tears dripped from his eyes and he clutched the note to his chest.

"Narusegawa…" he sobbed.

Bullet Train Station

"Where does Naru live?" Shinobu asked as they glanced at the map. Kitsune found the one she was looking for.

"Near the Mejiro station. That's on the Yamate line," she said as they left for the Yamate line.

"The doors are closing…the doors are closing…" Kitsune started to run.

"Hurry!" she called, and Shinobu and Su ran as well. **SLAM!** The doors closed just as they got to the platform.

"No!" Kitsune shouted in dismay. Su, however, not to be stopped by something so small as this, brought out a bazooka.

"Don't worry, I'll blast open the doors with this!" she cried, switching off the safety she had installed.

"SU! Don't be ridiculous!" Shinobu cried. The general populace had run away screaming.

"Stop the train or I'll blow open the doors!" Su shouted. **SCREEEECH!** The train stopped.

"See? I told you it would work," Su said.

"The doors are opening. Please take caution," the PA system rang. Kitsune and Shinobu hopped on after Su. The passengers inside immediately backed away from Su.

"Su!" Kitsune hissed. "Put that away!"

"Awwww…" Su groaned, and she put it away reluctantly. Meanwhile, Kitsune had on a fake bright smile.

"Don't worry everyone, she's perfectly safe…" she assured them. The passengers began to sit back down when Su brought it back out.

"What are you doing!" Shinobu cried. Su held the bazooka.

"I forgot to turn of the safety," she said. **BUMP!** The train lurched and suddenly a rocket flew out of the bazooka.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" There was mass panic as the rocket flew towards the front.

"Don't worry, it won't go through the wall. I haven't inserted that strong a piercing missile," Su said, smiling. **BING! **The missile ricocheted off the wall.

"Duck!" Kitsune cried. **WHOOSH! **The missile flew over their heads. Suddenly Shinobu opened a window and it flew out, hitting a random building and demolishing it completely.

"The doors are opening…please take caution," the PA system announced. Everyone got off in a big hurry.

"Oops," Su said as the doors closed and they continued in the car alone.

"Su…next time, NO HEAVY WEAPONRY!" Kitsune cried. Su saluted her.

"Yes, ma'am!" she cried. Kitsune collapsed into a chair.

"On the plus side, now we have the whole car to ourselves," Kitsune commented. Shinobu sat down next to her.

"Ah, K-Kitsune do you know what we're going to say?" Shinobu asked.

"No," Kitsune answered.

"Oh, ok," Shinobu said. The car rumbled on as Su bounced around the empty car.

"Now entering Mejiro…The doors are opening. Please take caution."

"Let's go," Kitsune said, and they got off.

Naru's house

(A/N: I know that Naru has a sister in the anime. And though I'm more inclined to follow the manga because I believe that it is better than the anime, I figured why not make her little sister the same one as in the anime? You don't meet her in the manga, though she is mentioned. So for all intents and purposes, you can assume she's Mei. If you haven't met her in the anime…all I can say is that Mei has red hair usually in buns or something like that and is very protective of her sister. Her parents, however, will remain anonymous and un-named.)

**KNOCK! KNOCK!**

"Yes?" a small girl asked, opening the door. She gasped. "Naru ne-chan!" With a squeal and a hug, Naru's little sister greeted her. _Here we go again,_ Naru thought reflexively, even though she had been the one to decide to return home.

"Mama! Papa! Ne-chan has come home for a visit!" Naru's sister cried in joy. Her mom came down the stairs.

"Naru!" her mom cried. "Why didn't you tell us you were coming to visit?" She gave her daughter a hug as her dad came down.

"Naru…come here!" her dad said with open arms. Feeling her dad's strong embrace, Naru felt comfortable and loved. She started to cry slightly.

"Naru! What's the matter?" her mom asked when she saw the tears.

"Mei, please go make some tea," her dad ordered. Mei did, though not without a backwards glance at her sister.

"Mom…oh mom!" Naru cried, and sobbing she told her mom the entire thing. About the Hinata-sou, about Keitaro, about Motoko, about the switch, about her feelings, and everything else she could have forgotten. She told her feelings about the whole thing from the beginning to the end. When she finished all her mom could do was comfort her daughter and pat her on the back in a hug.

"I'm going to kill that two-timing backstabbing Keitaro!" her dad yelled in resolve. "Kill him and then burn his corpse! The nerve of him! Err…her?" Her dad sat down.

"Mei, you can come in now," the mom said. The was a little gasp behind the door, but it slid open and Mei came in.

"Ne-chan, I'll help you get revenge on that guy-girl!" she said with rapid determination, pounding her fist into her palm.

"No…no, it's okay everyone. I just didn't want to live there anymore and now I feel a lot better. I'm going up to my room," Naru said, and she left with Mei following her.

"What should we do?" Naru's dad asked the mom.

"I really feel like pounding that guy. If he came here right now I might just…do something to him," she said. **DING DONG!**

"Who is it now?" the dad asked, and he went to the door. "Yes?" he asked.

"Hello Mr. Narusegawa," Kitsune said. "Is Naru here?"

"Kitsune! I haven't seen you for ages! Last time was…when was it? You were probably still wetting your diapers!" the dad cried.

"Please, we want to talk to Naru, Mr Narusegawa," Shinobu said.

"Yah yah! We came all this way!" Su said, bounding.

"Well…it just so happens that she is in an emotional crisis now and we would like to keep it family business," Naru's dad said. Kitsune sighed.

"It can't be family business when it involves all of us at the Hinata-sou," Kitsune said.

"All of us…wait, is one of you that blasted Keitaro?" the dad asked suspiciously.

"No," Kitsune said. "Here, this is Shinobu who happens to have a major crush on Keitaro." Shinobu started to sputter as she blushed red.

"Kitsune!" she cried.

"And this is our resident mad scientist who has an infinite amount of energy every day and every hour."

"Hiya!" she said.

"Now can we go and see Naru?" Kitsune asked.

"Honey, who is that?" Naru's mom called.

"Friends of Naru, dear. They say they want to visit her and help her in her distress," the dad replied. The mom came to the door.

"Naru's friends? I assume you know everything about this matter with Keitaro?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am, we know everything," Kitsune said.

"Well, she's in her room. It's up the stairs and to the left," the mom said.

"Thank you," Kitsune replied, and the little group left.

"Why'd you let them go in?" the dad asked after they had climbed the stairs.

"Well I don't think we know quite enough about this to say anything useful. And besides, we're just here to give our daughter a place to come back, a home fortress, eh?"

"Dad: the ultimate citadel!" the dad said, taking a muscle man pose.

"More like the ultimate scratching post," the mom said. "Come, we should probably make those kids something to drink. Did Mei actually finish making the tea?"

Naru's room

"Kitsune! Su! Shinobu!" Naru cried as they entered. "Um…"

"Naru, I followed you her because I…we need to talk with you," Kitsune said. "Everyone."

"Who's everyone?" Naru said sulkily.

"Why'd ja leave, Naru?" Su asked. "Without you beating Keitaro everyday things will get booring! And if those two start acting lovey dovey, then nothing exciting will ever happen again!"

"I…I can't live in that place if they are like that!" Naru exclaimed.

"Su!" Shinobu cried. "Don't be so insensitive!"

"Naru, if you leave then you won't ever get Keitaro back," Kitsune said.

"How could I anyways? Didn't you hear what he said?" Naru asked.

"Naru, do you really think he meant it? I would probably guess that he was just saying it to be nice to Motoko. You know he couldn't lose those feelings he had for you so easily!" Kitsune said. "It's not possible!"

"Well, if he's just being nice this way he won't be able to get caught if I'm not there," Naru said. She moved to her bed and sat down. Su and Shinobu sat besides her while Kitsune sat at the chair at her desk.

"Naru, I wasn't going to tell you this, but I truly believe Keitaro still has feelings for you. If we get him to say this to you, will you come back?" Kitsune asked.

"Keitaro doesn't! Didn't you hear? He's given me up for Motoko, and I wish them the best of luck. Go away!" Naru shouted in exasperation.

"Naru…don't you want to fight for him?" Kitsune asked one last time.

"No!" she cried, and started to sob into her pillow. As she did, Kitsune got up and lead Su and Shinobu away.

"Let's go back," she said, and left Naru alone.

A/N: Well, I finally got out another chapter under the inspiration of…nothing actually. And wow this chapter was filled with more drama and angst than the last one! What is up with that? I hope no one was too out of character, especially Kitsune near the end, but when her best friends hurting I assume she would act like this. Just a small reminder that I have no clue about future updates. It usually happens when inspiration hits and when I don't have too much work. Please R&R!


	12. Discord and Harmony

Harmony of One

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina, any of its characters, or any thing Love Hina-ish. Ken Akamatsu does. So thank him for creating this awesome manga series.

A/N: A sort of wonder as I write this chapter comes over me that I made the last chapter so angsty, which you probably noted because I say that all the time. Now I generally don't like writing angsty stuff, but of course this is Love Hina and angst/romance is part of everything. The beginning of this chapter is bound to have some angst, but perhaps I'll be able to end it jolly, happy and funny…well, maybe not. Please R&R!

"…" Denotes speech

_Italics_ Denotes thought

**Bold** Denotes sound effects

Certain Sounds:

**GOOMPH! **Means Fainting

**DOOONG!** Means Shock

:blah: Denotes time/time change

A scene/scene change is denoted by an extra line.

Chapter 12: Discord and Harmony

Bullet Train

"Kitsune, what should we do?" Shinobu asked in desperation. Kitsune didn't answer as she gazed out the window, watching the scenery fly by. Shinobu felt like crying for Naru as she did for herself. Of course, put in Naru's situation Shinobu would have picked Keitaro up immediately, but that was never going to happen…the best Shinobu could do was to hope that he would always care about her.

"I don't know," Kitsune finally mumbled. She was uncharacteristically sad, pensive, and it seemed she was on a different world. "It's her problem."

"Kitsune!" Shinobu cried in horror.

"It's her problem!" Kitsune yelled. Shinobu fell silent as her own thoughts took her over. _How did it end up like this anyways?_ Shinobu thought. _Horror beyond horror has occurred. Not just Naru has run away, but Kitsune is acting funny! Au, what will happen now!_ Shinobu wrung her hands in fear. The train rumbled on and finally arrived at their destination. Kitsune, Su, and Shinobu exited in silence, and walked up the stone steps slowly. Kitsune paused when they walked by the tea house.

"Maybe Haruka can help!" Shinobu suggested. Kitsune shrugged and continued up the stone steps. Su bounded after her. Shinobu glanced back at the tea house as she walked up slowly. She put her finger in her mouth the way she always does when she is thinking about something.

"It's not right!" she finally said aloud, and going down she entered the tea house.

"Shinobu!" Haruka greeted. She was sitting down in a chair reading a book as the shop had already closed for the day. "How are you?"

"Um…I-I want to talk to you about something, Haruka-san," Shinobu said. Haruka put down her book.

"Is it about Keitaro?" she asked. Shinobu's face registered shock.

"How…?" she asked.

"What else would you ask me about? What did my nephew do now?" Haruka asked. Shinobu realized that Haruka didn't actually know everything, so she sat down across from her.

"Well…Sempai, ah, went today to t-tell Motoko that, I mean, a response to her con-confession," Shinobu stuttered. Haruka twitched.

"What!" Haruka asked in disbelief.

"And…well, we were listening in and we, we heard him say that he loves Motoko," Shinobu continued. Haruka's eyes widened. "And then, Motoko asked if…if he liked Narusegawa anymore, but Sempai said he didn't feel anything for her anymore…"

"Ah, so that's why she ran away," Haruka said. "It now all makes sense…" Shinobu still continued, however.

"But-but then we went to get her back, and she just didn't answer and started to cry…and now she won't come back!" Shinobu finished, almost in tears herself. "What can we do, Haruka-san!" She started to sniff when Haruka handed her a napkin.

"Th-thank you…" Shinobu said, and she blew her nose.

"I'll deal with this. You just go and do what you normally do," Haruka said, standing up.

"Ok, I will," Shinobu said. They exited the tea shop together.

Keitaro's room

Keitaro's heart was now in two pieces. He would swear if you took it out, it would fall apart in two. What could he do?

"It's my fault, it's all my fault! Blast it, why did I say that!" he muttered to himself. _Lies never get me anywhere!_ That was the problem, this lying business. It didn't help when he first came here, and it definitely didn't help now. Love was such a complicated thing! If only he knew what to do! **KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!**

"Eh?" Keitaro asked, turning towards the door. Haruka entered.

"Can I come in?" she asked. Keitaro nodded and she closed the door.

"Ah…what do you want, Aunt Haruka?" Keitaro asked. Haruka slapped him. **SLAP!**

"I want you to call me Haruka-san," she said.

"So…sorry, Haruka-san," Keitaro apologized. He rubbed his red cheek.

"I really shouldn't be hitting Motoko's body like that, but you should learn," Haruka scolded.

"I'm sorry," Keitaro repeated.

"Anyways," Haruka continued, "I heard about your situation from Shinobu."

"Shinobu!" Keitaro exclaimed. "How does she kn-know?" Haruka shrugged her shoulders.

"You can't keep secrets in here for long," Haruka commented. Keitaro, down, muttered.

"I guess so." Haruka sat down on the table in his room.

"Any idea what you're going to do?" she asked. Keitaro shook his head.

"I…well, you know how it is," Keitaro said. "Liking two people."

"No, I don't know," Haruka said.

"Oh, that's right, you only liked Seta-san," Keitaro said. **BAM!**

"We're not talking about Seta!" Haruka exclaimed, her eye twitching. Keitaro, on the ground, was in pain from the kick Haruka had dished out.

"S-sorry…" he moaned. Haruka sniffed in anger.

"What are you going to do, anyways?" she asked. Keitaro sat up.

"I wish I knew…if only Narusegawa hadn't left…" Keitaro moaned. "I was going to explain things to her."

"Oh? How about you tell me all about it?" Haruka asked. Keitaro hesitated.

"Err…do I have to?" Keitaro asked. "It doesn't really concern—"

"Moron!" Haruka yelled, and she kicked him again. ("OW!") "I'm trying to help YOU!"

"Eh heh, I'm sorry…" Keitaro said. "Well…so you know I confessed to Motoko…"

"Yes," Haruka answered, not sure why she came to help her nephew anymore because she felt angrier and angrier at his annoying personality.

"Well…that's because I didn't want to reject her and hurt her feelings," Keitaro continued.

"Makes sense, since you have probably been like that all your life you didn't want someone else to feel the pain," Haruka said piercing Keitaro ("You didn't have to say it so bluntly…" Keitaro cried).

"Yes, but what is really the matter is that you don't really like Motoko, or at least in not that sense," Haruka said. Keitaro stuck up his hand.

"No! It's not true…I really do…at least I think so," Keitaro said. Suddenly he pulled his hair in frustration. "I don't know anymore!" Haruka crossed her legs and rested her arm on them while her head was placed on her hand. She looked Keitaro straight in the eye.

"So you actually love Motoko?" she asked. When Keitaro looked back, Haruka's eyes seemed to pierce his soul and search deep so that he knew if he lied he would be caught instantly. Not that he was going to lie anyways.

"Yes…" he said.

"Do you love Naru?" Haruka asked.

"Yes…" Keitaro answered.

"Okay, you're screwed," Haruka said, getting up.

"Wait, I thought you were supposed to help me!" Keitaro cried, putting a hand out in desperation, like he was drowning and Haruka was holding a lifesaver out to him.

"Well, that is only possible if you only love one person, Keitaro. I don't think I can help you very much," Haruka said. Keitaro sighed and his whole demeanor dropped several notches. Haruka looked at him and sighed as well. "You're so worthless," she said. "I'll try to help you, but it might not do anything." She sat back down on the table.

"Thank you, Haruka-san!" Keitaro cried.

"Keitaro, you have to answer the questions I ask honestly, otherwise I can't help you," Haruka said. Keitaro nodded, a determined look on his face.

"First…what do they both mean to you?" Haruka asked. Keitaro thought about it for a while. He had gone over this very question in his head, and now that he was asked it he was having trouble verbalizing it.

"Well…" Keitaro finally started, "Motoko is…Motoko. I mean, she seems to me like she couldn't take a rejection and might try to kill herself again, even though she said she wouldn't. I don't know if she has a "special" place in me, but she seems too frail to hurt and I care about her a lot." As he spoke, Haruka mentally slapped herself. Of course Keitaro would talk like this.

"Keitaro, that doesn't tell me anything. You care about everyone, which is a trait I have yet to understand, but do you love her? If you don't, then it would be even worse to say you do," Haruka said.

"I know!" Keitaro exclaimed. "It's my fault, and…I guess I really do love (he blushed) Motoko. I mean, she's really pretty, strong, smart, and…and….I can't really describe it, but Haruka-san if only you knew…" Haruka started to giggle. "What?"

"You sound like a girl," Haruka said, covering her mouth. "But maybe because you are a girl…anyways, what about Naru?"

"Gosh, I don't know what to say. She is so…beautiful, though her temper is a little much, though I don't mind that much. She…can be really nice and…Haruka-san, I can't explain!" Keitaro flustered, giving up. "This is too hard!" Haruka sighed, but spoke.

"Keitaro, I'm going to give you one piece of advice and we'll see if you can follow it," Haruka said.

"Yes?" Keitaro asked. He leaned closer.

"You have to follow what your heart says, then you'll be truly happy," Haruka told him, and she started to leave.

"What! That doesn't help at all!" Keitaro cried as Haruka exited the door. "What is that supposed to mean! Don't leave me with such ambiguity!" **SLAM!** Keitaro sighed in utter frustration.

"Curses!" he muttered, and sat back down on his floor. Haruka hadn't helped him at all. His problem loomed in his face and threatened to suck his very existence devoid of any pleasure at all.

"Drat!" He knew he had to get rid of one thing, and for that he had to talk to Motoko. He got up and left to find her.

Motoko's Room

Motoko fidgeted with her hands. Maybe she should do something useful now, but she was too…emotionally drained. The departure of Naru had struck her deeply, and she knew or had a good guess that it was her fault that Naru was gone now. But…she hadn't done anything wrong, right? _I didn't tell her anything, nor did I say she had to leave…in fact, I didn't even see her before she left!_ Suddenly, Keitaro entered through the sliding door and he sat down next to Motoko.

"Keitaro!" Motoko exclaimed, her heart starting to beat fast. _No…I must be calm…_ Motoko thought, and taking deep breaths she managed to slow her heart rate down, using a technique that she had used before to ward off excitement before battles so she could keep a clear and cool head.

"Motoko…I need to talk to you," Keitaro said. Slightly blushing, he also grabbed her hand which also cause Motoko to blush a deep red. "You see…ah…"

"Keitaro, you can tell me anything," Motoko said, though she didn't look into his eye when she did. They generally didn't look at each other because, well, they would see themselves and even though it had been several days already…how could you talk seriously to yourself?

"Motoko, forgive me!" Keitaro cried, releasing her hand and bowing low to the ground. He touched his head to the ground. "I lied!"

"What?" Motoko asked, feeling uncertainty swell in her again.

"I…still have feelings for Naru," Keitaro said, and he automatically cringed and waited for something to happen, a blow perhaps. Motoko, however, had been sent into a state of shock. She didn't answer and felt almost like she had been stabbed in the back. "I know I lied before…but I couldn't bare the thought of hurting you then! But I saw the errors of my ways, and now I have to tell you that I still…like Naru." Keitaro looked up slowly. Motoko was sitting there with a vacant expression on her face. It seemed to Keitaro that she was on the verge of tears and his heart was wrung in pain.

"I…" Motoko started to say, but couldn't. She wanted to leave him and go away someplace, but the cowardliness of that action touched something deep inside and forced her to stay. _I can't stop loving him even if he says this…but what does that mean? I can forgive him for lying at that moment, but what should I do now? If we break up…I'm sure we'll never switch back._

"Maybe we should call my sister," Motoko said, relying on her old support.

"Eh?" Keitaro asked. "What could she do?"

"Something," Motoko said, and she got up and left leaving Keitaro all alone in her room. He was confused— did Motoko hate him or not? Scratching his head, he got up to follow her.

Hallway

Kitsune was walking down the hallway, back to her usual self it seemed. Shinobu, who was secretly seeing what she was doing, thought that she had given up on Naru, and though she thought it was good that Kitsune seemed happier, what would happen to Naru?

"Heh, I wonder where Motoko and Keitaro are now," Kitsune asked herself. "If anytime is right, right now I need a video camera! Too bad the last one I had broke…" She put her hand on her chin and her face contorted into a "thoughtful" pose, as if mocking it because if anyone really thought about it they would realize that it was incredibly cruel and Kitsune always ended up vilifying herself.

"K-kitsune, shouldn't well tell Sempai about…err, you know, Naru?" Shinobu asked. Kitsune didn't hear or pretended not to. Shinobu's face fell. She was always trying her best, always trying to help everyone and everything; that's why she cooked every day, to serve and help.

"Maybe we can catch them in "love-love" situations," Kitsune murmured. Su bounded in at that moment following Motoko who was trying to get her off.

"Where's Keitaro? Where's Keitaro?" Su asked, while Motoko shooed her away with a hand.

"Yeah, where is your boyfriend?" Kitsune asked, and Motoko flinched at the word "boyfriend" while blushing a deep red.

"He…is not my boyfriend..." Motoko said. She picked up the phone and started to dial, but with everyone eagerly watching her, she put it down again.

"What do you want?" she asked curtly. Kitsune shrugged her shoulders and put her hands palm up in an "I don't know" manner.

"I don't know…perhaps I would be interested in your relationship to Keitaro?" Kitsune asked. Motoko turned away.

"I…don't want to talk to you guys about it!" she declared, head down.

"But why Motoko?" Shinobu asked plaintively.

"Because…it's personal and…hey, how do you guys even know!" Motoko exclaimed, realizing that she had never said anything.

"Oh, a little bird in the sky told us," Kitsune said. "He has very long reaching ears."

"You…you eavesdropped!" Motoko accused.

"Like you could hide it that long," Kitsune said offhand. "I could tell that Keitaro told you something wondrous because you came down floating on 10 centimeters of air."

"Did…did not!" Motoko sputtered. **SLAM!**

"Motoko-chan, we came to visit!" a voice shouted from the doorway.

"Eh?" Su asked. "Sakura-chan!"

"It's Su! Hello Su!" Sakura cried, running into view while Komachi walked in slowly behind them.

"What's going on?" Komachi greeted. "How have you been, Motoko? What's up?" Komachi was obviously clueless about anything that had just happened.

"Oh…ah….nothing," Motoko lied. She, however, mentally prepared herself for what Kitsune was going to say.

"Everything's normal here," Kitsune said, surprising Motoko. Motoko looked at Kitsune suspiciously, but was interrupted when Keitaro came down.

"Who's here?" he asked. He suddenly heard a squeal and looked to see Su and Sakura jumping towards him with their feet outstretched for a famous "greeting." He dodged.

"Heh, hello Sakura-chan, Komachi-chan!" he waved. "Why are you here?"

"Oh, I asked them to come!" Motoko said. "But…Keitaro, I need to talk with you." With that, she grabbed Keitaro and left.

"Um…what's with them?" Komachi asked.

"Perhaps you should ask them. I need a video camera," Kitsune said, and she left as well.

"Sakura-chan, behave," Komachi said, and she left to find Motoko and Keitaro.

"Sakura-chan, do you want to see my new spy suit!" Su cried. "Let's go, it's ultra cool!"

"All right!" Sakura responded enthusiastically. They left as well.

Keitaro's room

"What's up, Motoko-chan?" Keitaro asked, sitting down at his table where a mug of semi-stale tea sat. Keitaro picked it up and observed it.

"I…I don't want to be out there when everyone knows about 'it'!" Motoko cried.

"Huh? Wait…everyone?" Keitaro asked.

"Yes, especially Kitsune knows!" Motoko cried again. She sat down and sighed heavily.

"I guess having me is that bad, huh?" Keitaro asked. Motoko jerked awake.

"No-no! Keitaro…I love you…but I don't want anyone else to know just yet!" Motoko said. Keitaro, who was still struggling with his own feelings, didn't respond.

"And…Keitaro, I understand that you love Naru as well," Motoko continued.

"Eh?" Keitaro asked. "No, no, I didn't really mean I still like Narusegawa, it was just a joke, just a joke, haha!" Keitaro faked a laugh that would have made anyone but Motoko sweat-drop.

"Keitaro! Please don't lie anymore!" Motoko asked desperately. Keitaro stopped laughing.

"I'm sorry, Motoko-chan," he said. "Okay, it wasn't all lies, I guess I still feel something, but Motoko!" Keitaro suddenly got serious and grabbed Motoko's hand.

"We have to do something, otherwise we'll never get past stage one!"

"St-stage one?" Motoko queried nervously.

"So I suggest even though we both are uncertain what to do, we should go out seriously, like a, ah, (gulp) boyfriend and girlfriend c-couple," Keitaro finished, faltering. Motoko didn't answer. Of course she wanted to, but a couple? What were couples supposed to do? Date, of course, but what was dating? Didn't this lead to…marriage? Motoko loved Keitaro, of this she was certain, but somehow a deep commitment of _marriage_…the word floated around like lost jetsam and flotsam in her mind, adrift like scattered pieces of bread on a pond. "Well?" Keitaro asked. Motoko took a deep breath.

_Doing this with the one man I meet, with the one man I love seems the natural thing to do. My heart feels ready to leap out of my body! This must be what older sister felt._

"Keitaro…yes, yes, I'll do it," Motoko said. She grasped Keitaro's hand.

"Good. Now we'll have to tell everyone," Keitaro said, and as they stood up their door burst open.

"Surprise!" Kitsune shouted, holding a video camera as Komachi walked in. Realizing that they were still holding hands, Motoko and Keitaro blushed red and let go.

"Oh…how are you?" Keitaro asked. Kitsune, however, had picked up on it.

"Keitaro…what were you guys doing in here? Anything…oh, I don't know, "lovey dovey?" she asked, making "quote" signs over the words lovey dovey.

"No!" Motoko denied hotly.

"Actually…" Keitaro started, scratching the back of his head. "I have— no, we have something to tell you," Keitaro corrected himself.

"Oh?" Kitsune asked.

"What is it?" Komachi asked as well.

"Ah…it's really not that important…" Motoko lied.

"We have decided to become a couple," Keitaro said. Komachi was shocked. Kitsune was shocked. Heck, if Haruka had been here, even she would have been shocked. Everyone (well, except for Komachi and Sakura) knew they both confessed, but they would actually go so far as to become officially a couple?

"Mo…motoko…" Komachi stuttered, looking back and forth from Keitaro to Motoko. Keitaro scratched his head nervously when without warning an invisible blast sent him flying. **BAMMMO!**

"Wahhh!" he cried.

"Urashima!" Motoko exclaimed. "Keitaro!" **BZZT!** Su and Sakura appeared.

"Aww, it circuit shorted out," Su said. They were oddly dressed, to say the least, in skin tight clothing that everyone assumed was some new invention. "It almost worked."

"Yah, at least we got to greet Kei-kun without him knowing we were coming," Sakura said.

"Sakura! You can't just hit him like that!" Motoko cried.

"Yeah, how would you felt if someone constantly punched your significant other?" Kitsune asked. Sakura gasped.

"Significant other!" she asked. "So now you two are close? He is your…" she stuck up her pinky finger to Motoko.

"What!" Motoko asked. She was on the verge on denial again, but remembering she had agreed, she stopped herself from instinctively shouting no. Why did her body automatically despise the thought? She loved him, but did she want to keep and unrequited love as opposed to a nurturing, healthy relationship? It must be because she was not ready…but when would she? "I guess he is…" Motoko said, head down. Things got even more out of control when a loud shriek was emitted and Motoko felt something…no, some_one_ grabbing onto her legs.

"No Keitaro-sama!" a tear-stained Morita Noriko cried. She was grabbing fiercely.

"I have to be your first girlfriend! I have ordained it! I have planned it! I have planned everything!" she wailed.

"Um…where did she come from?" Komachi asked, sweat-dropping.

"You cannot have a girlfriend!" Noriko moaned. It was truly pathetic.

"Ah…I'm sorry?" Motoko said, not knowing what to do. No one ever told her about things like this!

"Really?" Noriko asked. "You won't go out with that horrible girl? You'll be all mine, forever and ever?"

"Um…that's creepy…" Komachi pointed out, her sweat drop increasing in size.

"No," Motoko said, firmly.

"Waaaaaaah! Keitaro-sama is soooo meaaan!" she wailed again. Keitaro entered in from his recent escapade (namely, getting kicked in the face by Su and Sakura).

"You! Keitaro-sama said he'll love me, so there!" Noriko said, and standing up she grabbed Motoko's neck and kissed her on the lips. **DOOOOONNG!** To say that they were all shocked was an understatement. Most people there felt like a bulldozer had made a visit and now was running over their bodies several times, each time adding fifty or so kilograms of weight on. At least, this is what Keitaro and Motoko felt, so they both promptly fainted.

"Oh no! Was Keitaro-sama too overjoyed at my proclamation of love!" Noriko asked in astonishment. Komachi's vein twitched and she grabbed Noriko by her collar.

"Out! Out!" she cried while Noriko was swinging and cursing at Komachi, calling her something unmentionable. **KICK!** Komachi locked the door after her. **POUND! POUND! POUND!**

"Let me in you mean girl! Let me see Keitaro-sama!" Noriko shouted. Everyone ignored her. Meanwhile, Motoko was alive again and was wiping her lips and coughing.

"That…was not what I wanted…" Motoko said. It disgustingly reminded her of Su's little adventure with her kissing machine, "Krishna-chan."

"Motoko, are you okay?" Keitaro asked. He neared her while she thought. _Nasty! That was too disgusting! I hope nothing like that ever happens again._ Motoko looked around and saw Keitaro. _Unless it's with him. AH! WHERE DID THAT THOUGHT COME FROM?_

"I'm sure Motoko-chan is fine," Komachi said. "She's tough."

"I'm okay…" Motoko said again.

"Don't worry, at least you were a man when it happened!" Kitsune said. Motoko glared at her.

"Motoko, what did it feel like?" Sakura asked.

"What? What are you talking about?" Motoko retorted.

"I mean…you can't have kissed many times before…" Sakura continued, starry eyed and holding her hands together, she went on. "I wish my first kiss to be with a very handsome man who is very rich…but he can't be arrogant, only kind. Oh, and he has to be smart as well. Then he would take me to the park and we could sit together…we'd eat ice cream…go to a movie, aquarium, perhaps a theme park. Then we would sit in the park late at night and…ah, bliss!" Silence ensued as people gave eerie stares at Sakura while large sweat-drops formed on their foreheads.

"Sakura, I don't think such a man exists," Komachi said.

"Such a man must exist…" Sakura answered dreamily.

"So what about this couple business?" Kitsune asked Keitaro and Motoko.

"Well...you know, I thought if we went out it might become more acceptable," Keitaro said scratching his head. "I mean, we do, ah, _care_ about each other," Keitaro finished, putting special thought to what word he used.

"Yes," Motoko agreed. "This is for the best."

"Great, why don't you two kiss to seal the deal?♥" Kitsune suggested. Keitaro sputtered.

"Ki-kitsune! Of course not! Right, Motoko?" he asked. Motoko looked away, blushing. "Eh!" Keitaro asked.

"I don't know if I'm ready yet…" Motoko said. She looked around nervously. "But shouldn't we try?" Keitaro's jaw hit the floor. Since when did Motoko want to kiss? _I don't want anymore until I've kissed him!_ Motoko thought, though she blushed even redder.

"Look, I don't think this is a good idea," Keitaro said. His mind was thinking, however, _I don't want to kiss her because I would feel like I'm betraying Narusegawa…although I've already kissed Narusegawa, though it was more like a banging of teeth._

"C'mon, Kei-kun!" Sakura said. "Mo-chan thinks it's a good idea! Right, Komi-chan?"

"Well…only if they both want it," Komachi said. And that was the problem. Any normal guy would have leaped at the chance to kiss someone they like, even if they liked someone else, but Keitaro who has never had a girlfriend nor even someone he really liked at all…

"O-okay," Keitaro said. "But I don't feel comfortable with all you guys here."

"Oh come on!" Kitsune exclaimed. "It's not something that private! It's not like you're doing…"it" yet."

"KITSUNE!" Motoko and Keitaro both yelled while she giggled. ("What's 'it'?" Sakura asked Su who shrugged.) Komachi, who was blushing red because of the inappropriate talk, coughed.

"I agree, it doesn't seem like they should be kissing in front of us," she said.

"But how will anyone know they did it? I'll record it, then," Kitsune said, and she set the video camera out on a tripod she had obtained from who knows where.

"Kitsune! That's even worse!" Motoko yelled. Kitsune crossed her arms in defiance.

"Then what?" she asked.

"You're pushing us too fast!" Keitaro said. "No one's ready to do this!"

"What you mean is that you're not ready to do it," Kitsune said. "Just like you couldn't do it when Tsuruko ne-chan came over and Motoko pretended that she was getting married with you, though now it could happen…" Kitsune finished.

"Stop saying things like that, please!" Motoko nearly begged.

"Oh you two are two whine-babies, just do it!" Kitsune yelled. Keitaro and Motoko looked at each other, mentally noting and trying not to notice that they were really kissing themselves. They both closed their eyes.

"K-keitaro, I'm re-ready…" Motoko said.

"O-okay…" Keitaro said. Kitsune sighed loudly.

"Jeez, you guys don't know how to do this, do you!" Kitsune grabbed Keitaro hands and put them on Motoko's shoulders while she put Motoko's arms around Keitaro's waist.

"Now kiss!" Kitsune said and she tripped Keitaro causing him to fall into Motoko's face. **SMOOCH!** Motoko felt like she was standing on a million volt plug as something tore through her body. She felt wonderful, terrible, passionate, and other wonderful words she could not describe. She felt like something was wrong, but it was only an illusion and perhaps she was leaving her body. She fainted.

"Woah! That was one passionate kiss!" Kitsune said, for Keitaro had also fainted.

"Mo-chan!" Sakura cried out in fear.

"Keitaro-kun!" Komachi shouted in dismay.

"Don't worry, they'll wake up eventually," Kitsune said, and she left, she said, to do some "copying."

"W-what should we do?" Su asked, but before anyone could answer Noriko busted in.

"Waaah! Keitaro-sama is unconscious! Why? What happened? Tell me!" she demanded. Komachi sighed and picked her up again.

"Time to leave, c'mon Sakura," she said, and she walked out while Noriko was waving her fist and kicking like a small child.

"Okay!" Sakura said, and everyone exited the room. Keitaro woke up first.

"Mo-motoko?" he asked. "Wait…do I see…Motoko?"

A/N: Um, I'm sorry for that ultimate reekiness of a chapter, but how else could I transform the chapter from angsty lameness to almost funny ultra lameness? No other way! Okay, but this is actually to placate my release a chapter need and I didn't even bother to re-read it…don't kill me! I guess I'll ask you to Please R&R now! Any criticisms on the angsty to non-angsty would help a lot for my future FanFics!


	13. A Brief Sojourn of Harmony and a Date!

Harmony of One

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina, any of its characters, or any thing Love Hina-ish. Ken Akamatsu does. So thank him for creating this awesome manga series.

A/N: Well, there's not much to say for this chapter except…it's finally out! Seriously, I've been one royal slacker and have not done anything for a while except school work, and perhaps play some Rome: Total War. But everything's good, so we can now enjoy and (hopefully) pleasant reading. I plan about…four more chapters after this, though I'm not going to say what they are about, so don't ask! Ha ha, imagine someone being actually interested enough to ask what I plan…Please R&R!

"…" Denotes speech

_Italics_ Denotes thought

**Bold** Denotes sound effects

Certain Sounds:

**GOOMPH! **Means Fainting

**DOOONG!** Means Shock

:blah: Denotes time/time change

A scene/scene change is denoted by an extra line.

Chapter 13: A Brief Sojourn of Harmony that leads to a date!

You could almost hear the silence. Motoko lay crumpled on the floor, from the kiss, as far as Keitaro could tell. But how could Motoko, the strong-willed, fiercely-determined Motoko-chan crumple from something so…simple? _Then again_, Keitaro pondered, _perhaps it was not so simple after all._ He thought this because of another factor involved. To all his astonishment, Keitaro actually **saw** Motoko on the ground. Yes, he was himself again, looking at Motoko! _Okay, calm down…perhaps I should pinch myself,_ Keitaro thought. He reached down his arm, but before he could do anything he stopped. _If it is a dream, I want it to last as long as possible._ Motoko groaned, startling Keitaro.

"Uh…" Motoko groaned. Her body shifted, her arms slowly propping herself to a sitting position. "What…?" Motoko suddenly gasped. She felt all over her body. "Give me a mirror!" she commanded, and like a dog, Keitaro obeyed whimpering. "I'm me!" Suddenly Motoko sprung up and started to cheer loudly, eradicating the peaceful silence that had been before.

"Woo hoo!" she cried, and she grabbed Keitaro up with her and started to twirl around in a giant circle. But just as suddenly Motoko realized what she was doing and stopped, letting Keitaro go flying into the wall. **BAM!** She coughed through the dust and checked once more. "Is it a dream?" she asked. Keitaro got up dizzily, and sprawled into Motoko who caught him.

"Keitaro…" Motoko said, not releasing him from her grasp. "Does this mean…we are one?" Keitaro hadn't considered the possibility before. Had the kiss moved them across the threshold, from separate to one? It seemed that the simple kiss was really complicated. Keitaro felt slightly small being held by Motoko and he stood straight up.

"Well…ah…" he stuttered, not knowing what to say. "Where were we?" Motoko's cheeks turned red as she recalled what had made them switch back. _Kiss…_ she thought. _We were…kissing._ The door opened before Motoko could say anything.

"I made the video!" Kitsune said, smiling broadly. "And posted it on the web!"

"WHAT!" Motoko shouted.

"I'm just kidding, Keitaro, jeez," Kitsune said. "But do you want to see your…_passionate_ kiss?" Kitsune asked, dragging her finger across Keitaro's face. "Huh, Motoko?"

"Ah…" Keitaro stuttered.

"NO!" Motoko said firmly without any trace of wavering resolve. Keitaro secretly wanted to see it, but by himself of course. He wanted to keep it too, because he wanted to cherish the memory of them kissing for the first time. Perhaps later when they get married it would make a…_Wait, it's not when, it's if, if!_ Keitaro thought furiously. He had accidentally slipped in when…or was it accidental? Perhaps their recent closeness had pushed him "that" far?

"Keitaro, you're unusually stern today," Kitsune commented.

"What?" Keitaro asked. Suddenly both realized Kitsune was still in the dark about the recent unity.

"Kitsune," Motoko started.

"Err…we're back to normal," Keitaro finished for her. Kitsune looked from one to the other. She seemed ready to burst out laughing…or start crying. "Kitsune?" Keitaro asked. Tears leaked out of Kitsune's eyes as she started sobbing.

"HAHAHAHA!" she roared. "I knew it!" _I knew it, of course she would laugh,_ Keitaro thought ironically. "It's a joke right?" Kitsune asked, wiping her eyes from the tears that had come out during her joyous roar of laughter.

"No," Motoko said. Kitsune's eyes looked up.

"Oh? How can I tell?" Kitsune said. "Perhaps I could secrets that only Motoko knows…like what kind of underwear she likes to wear."

"I…" Motoko sputtered, "Would not deign to answer such a question!"

"Kitsune, it's really me!" Keitaro said. Kitsune looked at both suspiciously with a hand on her chin. She started to pace around and examine both head to toe. She paused behind Motoko.

"What?" Motoko asked. Kitsune then grabbed Motoko's breasts offensively. "WAAAAH!" Motoko yelped. "What are you doing!" Motoko immediately pushed away and began turning a crimson hue.

"Of course Keitaro would probably do that too…" Kitsune noted to herself.

"KITSUNE! Stop this travesty at once!" Motoko shouted drawing her sword that she had long been without.

"Okay okay…" Kitsune said, backing away. "You don't have to get so worked up; we're both girls after all."

"I might have to get so worked up if you have "lily" tendencies!" Motoko cried out.

"Why, how rude!" Kitsune said with fake emotional hurt. "I am not like that!"

"Hmmph!" Motoko grunted in reply. She sheathed her sword and it noisily slid in with a clang.

"So…it's really you, Keitaro?" Kitsune asked, going closer.

"Ye-yes…" Keitaro said warily, trying to back away unnoticeably. He failed.

"Don't worry…I won't do anything like **that**…" Kitsune said, giggling. "Well…I'm glad you're back to normal!" She started to leave. "Was it the kiss?" she asked, suddenly stopping by the door.

"Err…" Keitaro mumbled. Motoko nodded blushing.

"Hah!♥" Kitsune said, and she hummed as she left. The two were left staring at each other.

"Where were we?" Motoko asked, now suddenly meek.

"Ah…couple?" Keitaro asked. Motoko glanced at the door that threatened to open itself and reveal their secret that everyone knew. Keitaro's room suddenly seemed thin and unprotected.

"Well…err…" Keitaro stuttered. "Do you want to go somewhere tomorrow?"

"EH!" Motoko asked, completely caught unawares. Her countenance shifted and instead of meek she seemed very excited. "Really!"

"Ah…" Keitaro said, not sure what he had gotten himself into. "Well…it's Saturday…I have no more studying to do…err…if you don't want to…I just thought, you know, it usually starts out with a first date…if you really don't want to…" Obviously Keitaro was not very good at reading girls' emotions. Or possibly he was just unsure of it himself.

"I…yes, I want to…err…yes," Motoko said, sure but not sure. A date? How could she manage? She didn't even have any proper clothes for something like this! It seemed that she might have to ask Kitsune for help…

"Okay," Keitaro said, and he scratched the back of his head out of habit. "Well…goodnight?" Motoko looked at the clock – it was already 10:00 PM.

"Yes…" she said. "Goodnight." She left and Keitaro prepared for bed.

Motoko's Room

Motoko lay on her futon, unable to sleep even at 12:00 PM which is what her senses knew. It had been two hours since she had bid goodnight to Keitaro…her _boyfriend_. She felt her lips with her hand for the last time, again. She swore to herself that she could still fell the tingle of the kiss, and that single thought kept her awake more than five cups of coffee and her sister breathing down her neck. _Date…am I actually doing this thing called a date with someone I love tomorrow?_ She blushed again in the dark where no one could see her. Just the day before she had struggled with an unrequited love, and had even begun to funnel her frustrations out in some sappy romance novel that she had started to write, but now…a date? Where did this come from? Having no experience whatsoever, or even read about it, she had gone and actually asked Kitsune what goes on in a date.

"What?" Kitsune had replied. "I would've thought you would at least know about that!"

"No, I don't know anything!" Motoko had said pathetically. Kitsune then had crept on a smile and said,

"Well, Motoko, it goes like this. First, usually men like to bring women to the movies. Start off with something easy, you know, someplace where you don't have to talk for a long time and then perhaps also get to hold her hand during the scary parts, heh heh. But after that, maybe a restaurant, karaoke, bowling, then, if he's feeling really lucky, he'll go to a hotel!"

"Hotel?" Motoko had foolishly asked. "Why?" Motoko grimaced as she remembered Kitsune's roar of laughter burst forth from her lungs and into Motoko's face, assaulting her ear drums and her pride.

"You really don't know?" Kitsune had asked, holding her sides in pain. Motoko remembered she had leaned closer and whispered into her ear. "Well…at a hotel…you do 'that'…" Motoko blushed red again. _No, Keitaro wouldn't do that,_ she told herself, but every time she thought about the date, she reached the same conclusion and could not fall asleep. Kitsune had offered to lend her clothes, though Motoko had flatly refused, and lingerie because Kitsune had abhorrently insisted it she might need it in case they get "that far." She shuddered. Of course, she hoped at one point they might get "that far" after she has married him, but on the first date…No, he was too much of a gentleman. Motoko had said such to Kitsune who again decided to snort in laughter.

"He's a pansy, that's the only reason why he wouldn't do such a thing…of course, if you do go to a hotel, you should tell me," Kitsune had finished, winking while Motoko had shamefully sputtered out nonsense causing Kitsune to laugh for the last time that night as she walked away.

Motoko still, however needed clothes, and she decided that she would have to go shopping with Kitsune, unfortunately. Shinobu might take it harshly if she went shopping for clothes for a date with her "Sempai" and Su…well, you just don't do these things with Su._ Hey, I could ask Komachi-chan and Sakura-chan!_ Motoko thought suddenly. _That is a good strategy, _Motoko thought, and having decided this, she decided that finally she could go to sleep. Just before she drifted off to sleep however, she put her right hand to her lips and felt a tingling. _Strange…_

:Saturday, March 6th:

Keitaro's Room

_Why did something feel so weird?_ Keitaro thought. It was not so odd that this would be the first thing Keitaro thinks upon awaking at the crack of dawn. First of all, why was he awake at the crack of dawn? He never woke up at dawn. Second of all, he has been the opposite gender for a month, and simply being that made one feel odd.

_I guess this is what getting a sex change operation feels like,_ Keitaro thought, than instantly shuddered either from the thought or from the cold. It was still early March and the nippy spring wind was blowing gently through his window that somehow had gotten open. He shuddered again, this time definitely from the cold. _What time is it?_ Keitaro thought groggily and saw the clock read 5:30 AM. The sun had just risen and had begun to shed its little rays over the horizon like a little child peeping out from behind his hands. _Okay, I have a while. Time to sleep…_

But sleep did not come. Why did sleep evade him? Something bothered him greatly and he could not sleep. He felt alert and honed.

_Hmm…why would I feel like this?_ Keitaro wondered. Oh well, he decided that since he could not sleep, and since everyone else was, it was a prime chance to take a soak in the outdoor tub! Of course, he quickly wrote a sign as he gathered his clothes and towel. As he traveled down to the baths, he checked the girls' rooms and saw that all of them were asleep. _Good,_ he thought, and stuck his warning sign on the door. He shed his clothes and stepped into the bath, soaking in the hot water. _Ahh…_ he sighed mentally in relief.

Motoko's Room

Motoko's clock buzzed at 5:30 AM, loudly and irritating Motoko's ears so that she pounded it off, almost crushing it under her strong hand. She felt incredibly sleepy, though she usually wakes up at five to do her exercises. _Keitaro's laziness must have been left in my body,_ she thought, and this thought scared her. Had her body become clumsy, perhaps, as well? Finding no satisfactory method to discover this, Motoko got up. She had woken up this early so she could take a bath, then go shopping very early with Komachi. _That's right, I should still call her. Of course, she wouldn't be awake this early…_ Motoko had in mind a store that she had sometimes walked by, and she remembered it opened at 7:00 AM. _Why did I wake up so early again?_ Motoko asked herself as a yawn came over her. _Oh well, at least I can soak in the hot tub,_ Motoko thought, and she went to do just that.

Hianta-sou Open Air Bath

Keitaro was in a stupor, partly caused by the heat and partly from his total relaxation he was feeling. He had never felt so relaxed, nor so good before, and he guessed he probably wouldn't feel such again. His mind sank into a blissful state of no thoughts, just existing. Suddenly he heard a noise, and reflexively looked at the door and cringed.

_Oh no, did someone not see the sign! I thought they were all asleep!_ Keitaro immediately thought. _If it was Narusegawa…_ But nothing came, and Keitaro found himself wishing Narusegawa. He sighed loudly, now his thoughts upon Narusegawa. Why had she left? It didn't help anything.

_No no no!_ another side of his brain shouted. _You have a date with beautiful Motoko-chan today and you're thinking about that? Shame on you!_

"But…" Keitaro stuttered. "I can't help it!"

_Bad bad man! You play with people's hearts like that and then where will you be? With no one! You need to decide!_

"I…have…" Keitaro said, clearly not sure.

_Yes, you have decided to be a "couple," but this thing about Narusegawa and Motoko must be resolved._

"I…" Keitaro said, but stopped. He knew that been at odds with both girls, and both hated him when he had first around (he has conveniently forgot that everyone hated him at first). But studying with Narusegawa and going on that trip with her…her smile…

"Keitaro?" Keitaro turned and for a second almost swore he saw Narusegawa, but it was a fleeting moment. Motoko appeared wrapped in a towel.

"Motoko! Um…" Keitaro said, blushing red and turning around. "I didn't see anything!" Keitaro heard a splash and stiffened.

"Keitaro…" Motoko said. "Um…let me wash your back…"

"Uh…" Keitaro stuttered. _Why is she going this far?_ Keitaro thought. _I'm not ready for this level of commitment!_ "No…that's okay, I'll leave!" Keitaro said, and he stood up to do exactly that. However, he felt an arm grab him and push him down.

"It's okay, I'll do it," she said, and Keitaro felt a cloth on his back slowly rub up and down. That Keitaro felt odd was an understatement – it was even worse than the first time, because then at least Keitaro had been, even though by force, blind folded. And it was by necessity, too.

"Motoko…" Keitaro started, trying to take his mind off this thing right now.

"Yes?" she asked, scrubbing hard.

"Err…when do you want to leave?" Keitaro said, not very clear at all. Motoko figured out what he was talking about, but remained calm nonetheless.

"I want, that is, I would prefer to leave at, uh, eleven?" Motoko said, ending in a question, because she wasn't sure about anything that had to do with dating.

"Okay," Keitaro said, and he lapsed again into an uncomfortable silence. Soon, the scrubbing ended and Keitaro breathed a sigh of relief.

"Your turn," Motoko said, and Keitaro's eyes bulged.

"What…I, I'm not…ah…ready…" Keitaro stuttered. While he had already, of course, seen Motoko in the buff, it was an accident and he hadn't really gotten to see anything. But if it was _voluntary_ and Keitaro was touching her…

"Please," Motoko said. "If... (Motoko blushed) we are to ever become a couple, we have to do things like this…"

"Ah, okay…" Keitaro said slowly, accepting what she said but not really wanting to do it. He turned around and immediately had to cover his nose. Motoko's bare back was facing him with nothing covering, not even a towel. Obviously she had one in the front, but the back was all bare. "Hold on," Keitaro said through his hand that was over his face covering his nose. He quickly washed off his hands and brought his towel and put it over his nose. He turned back around and though he felt _something_ his nose did not bleed. He picked up the cloth and, trembling, his hand neared Motoko's back. He saw that Motoko was also shaking slightly. The instant his hand touched her back, he felt like he should retract it. _I'm betraying Narusegawa!_

"Please, Keitaro," Motoko said. "I think…" but she didn't finish her sentence. However, the effect on Keitaro was to wrench his heart so that he did not take his hand away. _Today, at least, I should focus on Motoko…_ Keitaro thought, and he scrubbed her back. Of course, even if he wasn't confused he wouldn't have known how to do this properly, because he hadn't had any practice. He didn't bathe with other guys and even if he did, guys usually have too much pride to ask each other to wash his back.

"Ah…Keitaro, you're not doing it right. You have to scrub harder," Motoko said, blushing red.

"Oh…okay," Keitaro answered, and continued. "Uh…I'm done," he said.

"You didn't go low enough," Motoko said, and she coughed at the end to distract herself.

"Oh…" Keitaro said, and he picked up the cloth again. He closed his eyes as he started to clean. _O…my…gosh…any lower and I'll be touching her—_

"Thank you Keitaro," Motoko said, and she stood up and wrapped herself in a towel. "I'll see you at eleven, then." She exited the bath and Keitaro stood there.

"Ah…" he stuttered.

Motoko's Room

Motoko lay on the ground of her room, breathing heavily. What had she just done? She had let Keitaro wash her back, and his hand against her back was almost as intense as the kiss she had experienced. She recalled the feeling of his touch again…

"No no no!" Motoko chastised herself. That was almost the vilest thing she had done! And yet…her heart started to beat even faster than it had been. "No no no!" she repeated, though it seemed quite useless. What was she doing, anyways? She sat moping to herself, and came to the conclusion of the futility of her efforts. Obviously, she realized, doing that didn't do anything to help their relationship.

_I need to slow down,_ Motoko thought. But what was fast? What was slow? She knew nothing and felt awfully confused. For a moment she thought she just might call her sister, but then realized what kind of reaction she would elicit.

Imagined Telephone Conversation

"Ne-chan, m-me and Keitaro…I mean, K-keitaro and I have—"

"Wonderful!♥" Tsuruko said. "I knew it would happen!"

"You did?" Motoko asked.

"Of course! This is usually what happens when bodies are switched. The two people fall desperately in love with one another. Have you done 'it' yet?"

"NE-CHAN!" Motoko yelled in embarrassment.

"Why not? After, it's your destiny. Oh, and I do assume you have your bodies back, don't you?" Tsuruko asked.

"Well…yes…" Motoko answered slowly.

"See? You two are already in perfect harmony! In just a few weeks, he'll be proposing to you, you wait and see!" Tsuruko chuckled.

"Ne-chan!" Motoko whined loudly. "Don't say that so soon!"

"Oh ho ho, little sister, I know a lot more about this than you do. What have you two done recently?"

"Well…I did wash his back…and told him to wash mine…b-but, it was an accident!" Motoko blurted.

"Accident, little sister? I think not," Tsuruko said. She chuckled over the phone a bit more. "It is obviously your body telling you what the natural course of action should be."

"Ne-chan!"

"Tell me when you want to do "it" with him."

"NE-CHAN!"

End of Conversation

_That would be…horrible,_ Motoko thought horribly for a moment. She rolled over, still preoccupied in her thoughts. _But…he did invite me to a date today!_ Motoko thought, worrying. She got up, finally, and went over to her closet and opened it up. _Nothing,_ Motoko thought sullenly, looking at her pathetic collection. Why did she bother anyways? Most it was samurai clothes, though she did own some shorts and tank tops. _Nothing good,_ Motoko thought again. Someone knocked on the door and slid it open without bothering to wait for Motoko to answer.

"Hello!" Kitsune said. Motoko spun around and slammed her closet doors shut.

"What is it?" she asked, with a suspicious edge to her voice. Kitsune noticed it and smiled.

"Why, aren't you edgy this morning? Is it possibly because of your sad small collection of cute clothes?" Kitsune asked, leaning her head back and putting her hand on her chin in "wonder." "Or any clothes at all?" Motoko glared at her with unbridled hostility. Kitsune ignored it like she always did and brought out from behind her back several items of clothing. "You should thank me," Kitsune said as Motoko looked at it suspiciously, remembering what Kitsune had offered last night for "clothes." "I picked out the best stuff. Any guy would go nuts if you wore this." Kitsune threw them to Motoko who deftly caught it.

"Is it decent?" Motoko asked, picking up several pieces that included a tank top, t-shirt with a cute design on it, white blouse, shorts that were incredibly short, and a mini-skirt.

"Of course it's decent!" Kitsune said. "I would wear it." This did not comfort Motoko at all. She immediately put the tank top away, since it wasn't that warm. In fact…

"Won't I freeze if I wear this?" Motoko asked, looking at the mini-skirt she was holding up.

"Of course not. Many people do it all the time!" Kitsune said. She flashed a smile in an effort to seem sincere. It didn't work.

"I don't like mini-skirts. Perhaps I will have to wear one of my long—"

"No way!" Kitsune interrupted. "I won't let you. You can't go out in a long skirt! It's so…un-seductive!" Kitsune exclaimed, and Motoko couldn't tell if she was joking or not. "Don't you want him to fall in love with you even more? How will you two ever get it on if you don't dress prettily?" Motoko looked at Kitsune in a way that clearly showed she didn't believe a word she had just said. "C'mon, I know about these things." Motoko still looked doubtful.

"I don't know…" she said, holding up the extremely short skirt.

"It's supposed to be warm today anyways," Kitsune added, hoping it would convince her to put it on.

"I'll…try it on," Motoko finally conceded, and she put it on and looked in the mirror.

"Perfect!♥" Kitsune positively said, almost squealing with delight. Perhaps it was like the time where Motoko was forced instead of choosing, but whenever it was like this Kitsune smiled. "Let me go get Keitaro!"

"No!" Motoko immediately shouted. "No, please don't!" Kitsune stopped at the door of her room, hand on the handle. "Please? It's…sort of embarrassing." Kitsune almost snorted in laughter, but for some reason she stopped herself. _Embarrassing? She's going to be wearing it in front of him anyways!_ Kitsune thought, but maybe she wanted to save it…_At any rate, I guess I can let her at least knock his socks of later,_ she thought.

"Well, hold up. You need some makeup too," Kitsune said, coming over and bringing out some.

"Make-up! Eww!" Motoko said foolishly.

"Eww? Let me remind you most people wear this," she said, pointing to a lipstick tube. "Now come over here," Kitsune said.

"No!" Motoko said. "I'm not putting that on."

"C'mon," Kitsune said. "It's not dangerous." She put some on to show her. "See?"

"Now I'm **definitely** not putting any on. It's touched your lips!" Motoko complained.

"Don't be such a weenie!" Kitsune said. She approached Motoko with the tube of lipstick held out. "C'mon, now pucker up so I can put it on. It'll bring out your lips!"

"That's okay!" Motoko said, backing away into the wall holding her hands out in defense. "I don't want my lips to stick out!"

"But how will you know if you've kissed him? Come here!" Kitsune said. Motoko blushed, but did not falter.

"No!"

"Only a dab!"

"No!"

"C'mon! It won't hurt!"

"NO!"

:11:00 AM:

Hinata-sou living room

Keitaro was waiting for Motoko to come down. He hadn't seen her since the "bath" and that worried him. _What if she decided she hated me?_ Keitaro thought nervously. Suddenly a thought popped into his head uninvited. _Then I could feel no shame in going after Narusegawa again!_ He glanced around again, this time feeling guilty, to see if Motoko had perhaps read his mind. _Of course not, that is impossible,_ he thought, chuckled nervously to himself.

"Sempai?" a nervous little voice asked. Keitaro turned around and saw Shinobu with her fingers twiddling.

"Yes?" Keitaro asked. Of course he was still dense about Shinobu's attraction to him (which is why she never entered the equation when he thinks about these things), but he knew Shinobu respected him a lot.

"Sempai…err…" Shinobu stuttered, walking closer. "Are you…" She didn't finish her sentence.

"Am I…?" Keitaro asked confused. Shinobu silently shouted at herself. _C'mon, ask it! Don't be shy! He won't lie!_ But then again, perhaps Shinobu would rather have him lie to him than hear the truth. _I know the answer anyways…_ she thought sullenly, dropping her head down in defeat. Suddenly Keitaro put his hand on her shoulder.

"Shinobu? Are you okay? I feel like you haven't been well in the past couple of days," Keitaro asked. Then he laughed out loud self-consciously. "Of course I'm probably just reading in to things." _No! You're right!_ Shinobu thought miserably. _But you can't help me…_ "Hey…" Keitaro said. He put his hand on her chin and looked at her in the eyes. "You shouldn't be so down; it isn't good for someone your age to be depressed. Even though I don't know what it is, whatever it is can't be insolvable. I'm sure if you put your heart into it, you'll do great! Shinobu is always like that—whenever she puts her heart into something, immediately everything starts to brighten." Keitaro finished his little speech with a warm chuckle. "I like you better when you're happy."

Shinobu's eyes started to tear up, and she bowed swiftly.

"Th-thank you Sempai," she said. Sniffing, she wiped the tears from her eyes. _Even though he can't be like that, at least he cares a lot…_ Shinobu thought, and though it was a sad thought, she had come to this conclusion finally. It wasn't easy. Much deliberation had occurred while Keitaro and Motoko were in the midst of their emotional thriller ride, and Shinobu had come to terms. She did love Sempai, and wanted primarily his happiness. She would have shuddered if she had forced him to do anything that would cause unhappiness, and she wished him the best of luck in her heart.

"Ha-have fun…" she said, and went away before Keitaro could utter a replyl.

"Uh…thank you?" Keitaro asked, not sure what he had done. He shrugged his shoulders.

"KEITARO!♥" Keitaro turned around though he should have known what was coming. **BAMM!** "Hiya!" Su said, landing on her feet and looking at Keitaro on the ground.

"SU! You nearly killed me!" he cried. "And right before my…uh…"

"Date?" Su asked, grinning madly. Keitaro nodded quickly, as if doing so for too long would bring shame and embarrassment upon his ancestors, forcing him to commit seppuku. He still felt slightly odd about using the term "date" and would rather not say anything at all. If forced, he might say "outing."

"Don't worry, you can't die!" Su said. She brought out a corsage. "Here, I made this for you." Keitaro took it and examined it; it looked normal but knowing Su… "It's a secret microphone and video camera to record your first date!"

"What!" Keitaro exclaimed. He sure as heck didn't want _evidence_ for this. The talk would be bad enough.

"Plus," Su continued, taking it back, "If you pull on the stem it acts as a pepper spray, so you can protect Motoko like a man should," she said

"I don't think Motoko needs _my_ protection—" Keitaro started but Su had pulled the stem already to show Keitaro. **SPRAAAAYYY!**

"MY EYES!" Keitaro yelped in pain, falling to the floor and writhing in agony.

"Oh no! Keitaro, are you okay?" Su asked in worry. She bent down over him and shook hard. "Wake up!"

"I'm awake!" Keitaro cried. "Just in pain!" He stood up, but stumbled around and was forced to lean on the couch for support. This is when Kitsune entered.

"Keitaro, prepare to meet the new and improved…are you okay?" she asked, noticing Keitaro stumbling over. "Are you…drunk?"

"No…" Keitaro said. "Just a bit dizzy. Su sprayed pepper into my eyes." Kitsune looked at Su who shrugged her shoulders.

"I didn't mean to," she said.

"Don't worry," Keitaro said. He stood up straight and stopped floundering around like a drunk. "I'm ready."

"Really?" Kitsune asked. "Are you ready to have your socks knocked off?"

"Ah…?" Keitaro asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Motoko. She took all day to dress up for you," Kitsune explained.

"WHAT!" Keitaro yelped. He started to panic. "B-but, I-I didn't do anything, I'm not even wearing a collared shirt! Look at this!" he shouted, pointing to a hole in his sweat-shirt that he was wearing.

"Don't worry!" Kitsune said, shushing Keitaro. "Motoko, come down!" Keitaro turned around and saw Motoko descend the stairs. He felt like gasping, but no air came out and he coughed and sputtered instead. It wasn't that Motoko was so stunningly beautiful in the sense that she was sparkling with jewels and glistening with make up that would accurately enhance her natural beauty, but that Motoko was radiating and _inner_ beauty that was enforced by her own self and the slight tinge of make-up that Keitaro could make out, the mini-skirt she was wearing, and the blouse that fell delicately upon her like a cloud loftily riding in the sky. It seemed — as best as Keitaro could put it — entirely natural that Keitaro was struck with awe. _Is this…Motoko?_ Keitaro's brain said through the muck that was in his brain. Keitaro was overcome and stepped back.

"Keitaro?" Motoko asked. "Are you ready?" Motoko's voice cut through his thoughts and Keitaro reacted like a love-sick tongue-tied school boy.

"Err…plehaps…I…ah…y-yyes?" Keitaro replied. If Motoko had asked him to strip to his boxers and dance like a monkey Keitaro probably would have replied the same – he didn't know **what** he was saying.

"Please take care of me today," Motoko said, coming closer and bowing her head slightly.

"Oblay…" Keitaro said, and he and Motoko walked out of the Hinata-sou, Keitaro slightly stumbling as he went.

"Why'd Keitaro get so weird?" Su asked, puzzled by Keitaro's reaction to Motoko. "Motoko just got dressed up and put on a little make up. I can do that!" Kitsune chuckled.

"Su, when a girl gets dressed up and the guy sees her for the first time, _that_ is when they fall in love. Motoko has never done anything like that before which is sort of good if you think about it. That way, nobody has ever fallen for her. Keitaro's brain who has feelings as well for her probably amplified her beauty tenfold. It's pretty simple," Kitsune explained. Su pondered this while Kitsune watched Motoko and Keitaro walk down the stairs, slowly disappearing.

"So if I get dressed up, Keitaro will fall for me?" Su asked. Kitsune sweat-dropped.

"Wait a couple years," she said, and she left the living room for her room.

"I can change that," Su said, and she went back up to her room.

A/N: Well I finished another chapter. Sorry that I haven't done anything for about a month, but I had a lot of work. Right now, though, the work has decreased and I can go back to writing, though I am going on vacation for about a week next next week, so no update then. I'm going to finish this soon, as I said before, because right now about three story ideas are bursting in my head so I need to finish this. Please R&R! As always, humor is what I think I'm good at (at least better at) than romance, and it may be all trite and horrifically shameful on how it is horrible writing. Any reviews on that would be helpful!


	14. The First Date & First Love

Harmony of One

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina, any of its characters, or any thing Love Hina-ish. Ken Akamatsu does. So thank him for creating this awesome manga series.

A/N: I'm sorry that this has taken so long. If you haven't noticed, though, this story is almost over. At least I think so, but maybe not :). Please R&R!

"…" Denotes speech

_Italics_ Denotes thought

**Bold** Denotes sound effects

Certain Sounds:

**GOOMPH! **Means Fainting

**DOOONG!** Means Shock

:blah: Denotes time/time change

A scene/scene change is denoted by an extra line.

Chapter 14: The First Date & First Love

The sun was shining, there were no clouds in the sky, and a slight breeze just blew about, scattering discarded papers that had found their way from their owners' hands. All in all, it was the perfect day for a date.

Or so Keitaro told himself. There was still a large problem that seemed to loom on the horizon, slightly out of sight and very out of reach right now. And that was Motoko. _Actually,_ Keitaro thought, _it's probably my fault._ He was earning too many stares, and besides the fact he was already red because Motoko had decided to be bold and grab his hand sometime during their walk to a café, Keitaro was extremely nervous. Many people muttered things, and much like his first "date" with Narusegawa, most people said something about an "ill match." Thank goodness for him that Motoko did not feel like that at all, and though she was blushing even more furiously than Keitaro she remained firm.

They sat down at a table at the café where Keitaro had so long ago brought Narusegawa. A waiter came by offering menus which Keitaro graciously took so he could hide his face in it.

It wasn't so much that Keitaro was ashamed – it was quite the opposite. He was just scared of himself…for Motoko, that is. He looked at the menu and decided all he wanted was some udon noodles – good enough for him. He had brought a lot of money with him; he still had some left over from his job with Seta because he hadn't used much of it at all. He glanced at Motoko furtively who seemed to be buried in her menu as well. Oh, the pain his heart endured when he reluctantly slipped back behind his menu. He wanted Motoko to order first, to make sure that if said he only wanted some noodles that Motoko didn't feel pressured to order something with the same price cost.

"So…what's good here?" Motoko asked suddenly. Keitaro's palms became sweaty as he flipped through the menu.

"Uh…the teriyaki here is pretty good. Oh, and the ramen is supposed to be better than average over here. Personally, I like the beef bowl at another place, but here it's pretty good," Keitaro said. He cringed mentally as he made his last comment and wished he hadn't.

"Oh? Where is that?" Motoko asked. "We could go there instead."

"No…it's a fast food place, you wouldn't want me to take you there," Keitaro said.

"But then it must mean that you visit that place all the time! Let's go, I think it'd be fun," Motoko said, and Keitaro knew defeat when he saw it and stood up.

(A/N: I'm going to stretch the "truth" here and say that Keitaro has gone to this fast food chain so many times he knows most of the people there. If you're offended by this obvious inaccuracy since he eats Shinobu's food everyday, I'm sorry but I figured it would be more fun this way. author sticks out tongue Ok, back to the story)

The Beef Bowl restaurant that Keitaro had liked so much was a typical "bowl" noodle fast food restaurant, except with some certainty it had good beef bowl. Motoko looked on and as she saw this restaurant she realized that she passed every day on the way home from school, and certainly many times she had probably passed Keitaro eating in there. A chime rang as Keitaro and Motoko entered the restaurant.

"Hey Keitaro!" a waiter/busboy greeted coming over with a menu.

"Hey Keitaro!" another man said.

"Keitaro…what's up?" the woman behind the counter greeted.

"Hello Daisuke," Keitaro said, to the first waiter that had greeted him.

"Oo, who's this pretty lady you have at your arm?" Daisuke asked, and with some form of embarrassment Motoko realized she had been holding Keitaro's arm. She didn't let go, however.

"Um…" Keitaro mumbled. "Daisuke this is Motoko-chan. Motoko-chan, Daisuke."

"Glad to make your acquaintance," Daisuke greeted, bowing low. "Any friend…or more…is welcome here at our lowly Bowl Noodle Hut" At the hint Daisuke raised his eyebrows at Keitaro but Keitaro said nothing. The store was odd in that there were no tables but counters with stools – this duly noted, Motoko sat down and put her hands on her skirt, not sure how to sit properly on a stool without revealing anything. Keitaro sat normally and was browsing through the menu when Daisuke came by, it seemed, after he just hanged up the phone.

"By the way, a certain Morita Noriko dropped by and told me to tell her if you come by. I just called her." Daisuke said. "She said she was your good friend." Keitaro's jaw dropped and Motoko almost fell off her stool.

"WHAT!" Keitaro screamed. "WHO!" His rage was only masked by his hope that Daisuke had _not_ said

"Morita Noriko," Daisuke told him.

"Why!" Keitaro said. "Why would you tell RANDOM people?"

"Hey!" Daisuke said defensively, putting both his hands in front of him and backing away. "She said she was your good friend!" Keitaro, who wished for the first time in his life to pummel someone (Daisuke), ignored him and grabbed Motoko's wrist. She blushed at his touch.

"We have to get out of here Motoko-chan," he said, and jumping to the ground he almost dragged Motoko towards the exit of the restaurant. The door chimed, however, and Keitaro who at the time was looking towards Motoko crashed into the unsuspecting customer who had just entered.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but," Keitaro started to say as he turned around to help the person he knocked down up but suddenly he stifled a gasp as he saw the green eyes and brown hair of a certain Morita Noriko!

"Keitaro-sama♥!" she squealed, and she launched herself against him with arms outstretched. Knowing this fate would be worse than death Keitaro dodged just barely so Noriko went flying and crashed into a table bringing it down along with anything that was on top of it. While Keitaro felt a twinge of guilt for Noriko he was resolute because he couldn't let this date end like every other date he had went on, which while admittedly was very few they always were chaos. **Chime!** As he left the Beef Bowl Hut he thought furiously, _normal…please let this date go like normal!_

"KEITARO-SAMA! COME BACK!" Noriko yelled at the disappearing figures of Keitaro and Motoko. But they disappeared out of sight. "You can run…" Noiko said. "But you can't hide." She then cackled.

Somewhere else…

**CHOMP! CHOMP! CHOMP!**

"Take it easy."

**CHOMP! CHOMP! CHOMP!**

"Hey, are you listening!"

**CHOMP! CHOMP! CH—**

"Komi-chan!" Sakura wailed. Sakura and Komachi had been eating at a café – actually, Sakura had been gobbling it down when Komachi had taken the food away. Komachi still held the bowl away.

"Don't be so stingy!" Sakura cried, trying to get it but Komachi was almost as tall as Motoko and Sakura had no chance.

"Stop eating so fast and I'll give it back to you," Komachi said. "I don't want to have to do CPR on you." Sakura pouted as she sat back down glumly.

"Fine," she said, sticking her tongue out even though she was a high school student.

"You act like a little child," Komachi said as she gave the bowl back to Sakura. She started eating though was more controlled. Sakura finally finished eating while Komachi sipped the bubble tea she had bought.

"So…" Sakura asked. "You think Motoko and Keitaro are good?" Komachi flinched but didn't say much.

"Sure," she mumbled.

"Haha! You still like him don't you?" Sakura asked.

"No…no, it's okay," Komachi said. And she really was okay…

"But you still don't feel its right?" Sakura asked. "Don't worry, you can tell me anything!" Komachi sort of shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know what to think, Sakura. If they want to…" Komachi trailed off.

"Come on know, Komi-chan, two of your friends are becoming a couple! Of course you'll feel odd!" Sakura said. For all her naivety, Sakura seemed to know especially when compared to Motoko or Komachi what they were feeling. She said she studied about this stuff, but then again how can one really study this? Komachi sort of grunted something.

"Komi-chan, don't deny your feelings!" Sakura said. "It could be like some great romance novel of all time! _The Kendo Girls_ it could be titled!" Komachi snorted.

"Don't be ridiculous!" she said.

"In the beginning," Sakura continued. "There were two kendo girls who both were best friends and abhorred boys. Then…one man entered…Urashima Keitaro! Yes, this man would break their barrier, becoming the love item of both and—"

"Sakura! That's enough," Komachi said. Sakura stopped, giggling.

"Oh, you know that would be a good book. I should write one…" Sakura thought.

"Like you could ever finish a book. You don't even have the attention span to read a book, much less write one," Komachi said. "Let's go, anyways." **BAM!** Suddenly a loud clanging was heard and Komachi and Sakura turned around to see that a table had been flipped over.

"Wow…that guy is really dumb," Sakura said. She peered over at the man profusely apologizing to the managers and waiters and whoever else was even looking at what happened.

"Probably some stupid male. Ignore him and let's go," Komachi said, standing up and taking her empty cup to the trash. They were near the exit when Sakura gasped and pointed.

"That stupid male is Keitaro-kun! And Motoko is with him!" she exclaimed.

"What!" Komachi cried out. Immediately all thoughts of leaving left her mind. How could she leave now? Impossible!

"Look!" Sakura whispered. "They're sitting down and…oh my word…they're holding hands!" she nearly squealed. Komachi did indeed see that, and for some reason she felt a bump in her heart beat.

"Quick!" Sakura hissed, pointing to a table a couple of tables behind the one Motoko and Keitaro were sitting at. "Get that one!" They virtually leapt for it, knocking a couple who obviously were going to sit there instead but just hadn't made it.

"How rude!" the woman said, but the man, not really caring, pointed to another one. They sat there instead. Sakura meanwhile, had unfurled a listening device ("I got it from Su!") and gave a pair of headphones to Komachi who, swallowing guiltily, put them on. Sakura already had a pair jammed on her head, and she passed a note to Komachi while she listened intently. The note gave some basic instructions on how to use it, but what Komachi noticed the most was that it mentioned a transmitting station and receiving station, meaning that something must already be planted on Keitaro! She took a slow glance in his direction and spied the transmitting station immediately. It was a corsage that was quite obviously placed on his sweatshirt, and considering how out of place it was it must be the device! Komachi felt even worse because this means Sakura had planned this all along and coming out for a shopping trip was only an excuse! She felt tricked that she had been forced to participate on this surely illegal activity, but she realized if told she probably would not have said no.

Suddenly they began to talk.

"Motoko-chan…" Keitaro said. "Do you…um…do you see her?" Komachi, since she was far enough away to observe them without them noticing her, saw Motoko shake her head to which Keitaro sighed in relief.

"Good," Keitaro said, wiping his brow. "Well…I'm sorry it turned out this way. But this café is as good a place as any, so how about eating here to start our, err, date?"

"Su-sure, Keitaro," Motoko said. Komachi, who was in a daze ever since he heard Keitaro say "date," realized that Motoko was still grasping Keitaro's hands beneath the table. She also was shocked at the outfit that Motoko was wearing. A quick glance confirmed that it was something Sakura would wear, not Motoko, whose stern appearance usually put most boys off and if that wasn't enough, a blast of ki from her sword would. _A mini-skirt…Motoko-chan is wearing a **mini-skirt**,_ Komachi thought with a slight twinge of horror that came for an unknown reason. She saw a waiter come by and ask what drinks and appetizers they would want.

"Hmm…I don't know…" Keitaro mused. He looked at Motoko. "Do you want anything?" Motoko seemed to think for a moment, but then she shook her head.

"I'm not that hungry," Motoko said.

"No appetizers, then," he told the waiter. "And I would just like some water with a slice of lemon, perhaps."

"And for you, miss?" the waiter asked. He held his pen, ready to write.

"Ah…just water for me too," she said. "No lemon." The waiter wrote something down then left.

An uncomfortable silence settled upon the two and Komachi was holding her breath.

"Motoko…say something!" she said to herself more than anyone, but to her great surprise Motoko did.

"So...how did you think you did on the test?" Motoko asked. Keitaro thought about it for a moment, but then laughed out loud, the first time he had done so since he started this date.

"Motoko-chan, you took the test for me!" he said.

"Oh. Yeah, I remember that now," she said, a smile creeping on her face.

"So," Keitaro said. "How did you do on the test?"

"Not too bad, for being you. You should thank me, actually because now you have a fighting chance to get into Todai," Motoko commented.

"Wh-what! I'm not that dumb," Keitaro protested. He again brought out his "B" that he had received on his mock exam. "See?"

"I remember something about a fluke…" Motoko said daringly.

"Fluke! This was hard work at its finest!" Keitaro exclaimed.

"Its finest is obviously not that good," Motoko said. Keitaro stood up, ready to shout at Motoko when she laughed and he felt his heart move several paces ahead. **Ka-thump!**

"Keitaro?" Motoko asked. Keitaro sat down, his clenched fist spreading out and he looked at the ground and felt his heart. **Da-dum! Da-dum! Da-dum!**

"I'm okay," he said. Motoko stared at him for a bit, but didn't say anything. Keitaro felt another uncomfortable silence settle down and he longed to fill the void with something.

"So…how's kendo?" Keitaro asked.

"Fine, I guess," Motoko replied. Silence.

"Err…talk to your sister lately?" Keitaro asked.

"No." Keitaro now felt more awkward then before. What to ask that didn't sound incredibly stupid or trite? He wanted to ask several things, but all of them included some possibility of embarrassment and he didn't want anything to do with that.

"So, err," Keitaro started again. "What do you think of Morita Noriko?"

"I…well, I don't like her," Motoko stated plainly. "To tell the truth is the best way. She is annoying, and constantly is around. Plus she hates me, so I'm not going to like her back. Seriously, anyone who stalks people have to work out their problems so they don't develop to be serial killers. She needs to find a doctor." Keitaro was somewhat perturbed by her reaction. Yes, he had expected dislike, but it seemed she really hated her and Keitaro was not about to profess that level of hatred even though he didn't like her at all either, though somewhere something told him it was nice someone loved him like that.

_No no no, I have Motoko here to…_ Keitaro began to think but stopped. The waiter came by with water and asked if they were ready to order.

"Ah…yes," Keitaro said. "I would just like some Udon noodles."

"What flavor?" the waiter asked.

"Ah…I don't care, choose one," Keitaro said. The waiter shrugged, then apparently wrote down something.

"And for you miss?" he asked. Motoko had not been looking at her menu, but she simply ordered the same.

"Great. Two Udon noodles. That will be ready soon," he said, and picked up the menus and left.

"What are we doing after this?" Motoko asked.

"Oh!" Keitaro exclaimed, then dug into his pocket for something. "Well…it's not much but I thought we might want to go to this museum that just opened…ah about feudal Japan. They have, I heard an interesting swords display…" He looked up, realizing that he sounded incredibly stupid. Why would Motoko want to focus on swords now? He sighed.

"Really?" Motoko asked. "I've always wanted to see that! My sister helped them make that presentation and even sometimes she participates in that! …of course, perhaps it is best we make sure she is _not_ there when we visit…"

"Oh? What does she do there?" Keitaro asked. Motoko answered with enthusiasm.

"She displays the ancient swords as a proper sword master should," she said.

Over at Komachi and Sakura's Table…

"Jeez," Sakura whispered to Komachi. "They talk about boring stuff!"

"Sakura!" Komachi hissed. "Be quiet!" Komachi couldn't believe that things were going so well for them. _I mean, they hardly even know each other! Hasn't Keitaro only been managing the dorm for a couple years?_ Komachi thought. _Yet he somehow was lucky enough to choose something Motoko has always wanted to do! I guess it would be pretty obvious that he should choose something related to that…but that?_ Komachi personally knew how often Motoko had talked about going to that museum, to not only see her sister but to view the interesting blades and different swords held by the ancients. Komachi looked intently, drinking some tea she had ordered. She was painfully aware of how much of a voyeur she was being, but she couldn't pull herself away from looking on.

"They're just talking," Sakura said. "Why don't they _do_ something?"

"Shh!" Komachi hissed. They had finished eating and were now standing up to leave. "We have to be quiet when we follow them." They both stood up slowly as well, creeping forwards. They exited and headed towards the museum. "Now!" Komachi said, and she and Sakura followed.

Keitaro and Motoko were walking without really looking at one another. _Is it because they are switched?_ Komachi asked. (A/N: Remember Komachi and Sakura do _not_ know they have switched back, but, still, both of them together still is considered a date.) But Motoko slowly inched closer and grabbed Keitaro's hand while blushing red. _When did Keitaro become so bold?_ Komachi asked herself. She almost couldn't believe her eyes. Yes, she had heard their bold proclamation of "love," or at least a proclamation in the form of a "couple." _Bah, what does the word couple mean anyways?_ She knew that holding hands was almost as big a kissing would be to others—if Komachi saw Motoko kiss Keitaro, she would be very surprised. She knew her friend very well…but still…_Still, I don't know this side of Motoko_. In fact, she didn't even know this side of herself! Boys were stupid in general, but Keitaro…

"Are you going to pay for us to get in, Komi-chan?" Sakura asked Komachi. Komachi flinched slightly because she had no money and while the museum entrance fee was only several hundred yen, it was a lot more than the few yen she had left.

"Um…I don't have any money," Komachi said worriedly, watching Motoko and Keitaro enter the line for the entrance.

"Aww…" Sakura whined. _Does she think this is fun and games!_ Komachi thought a bit irritated at her tone. Komachi was worried too, for crying out loud! A nasty thought suddenly struck her…_what if something important happens in the museum? I must find a way to get in…I need a miracle._

"Komi-chan, over here!" Sakura hissed, going to a sort of alleyway by the side of the museum. Komachi followed unsure as Motoko and Keitaro finally reached the entrance and showed their tickets. They disappeared just as Komachi reached Sakura.

"Look Komi-chan!" she said, and this time brought out a video that seemed to project a picture around chest-level.

"What is this?" Komachi asked.

"It's a video! Su put this in as well, but I didn't use it because we could actually see them. But now I think we have to use it," Sakura explained. "I mean, this is an important moment for our friends! We don't want them to mess it up!" Sakura said eagerly. Komachi nodded subconsciously, and sat down an watched Keitaro's antics.

Inside the Museum

"Wow…" Motoko said as she peered into the glass displays that proudly held swords of many different famous samurais and even some fabled blades that were supposedly the weapons of ninjas of legends! Motoko pressed her face up to the glass.

"Keitaro, look at this!" she said excited. It held several katanas on a rack, all sheathed. The were ornate designs on them of which Keitaro couldn't discern, but he could only assume they were fancy and _very_ expensive.

"Ah, I see the miss here is very interested in these swords," a museum attendant said, coming closer, performing his sole job of explaining exactly why these swords where here. Keitaro, who had been peering at the sword turned to face him.

"And, you sir must also be very interested in these. And with good measure, I should say," the attendant said. "For these blades are the blades forged deep in the mountains from a secret sword-smith. In fact, legend has it that this sword smith will only forge swords for masters and students of a certain school, —"

"The Gods' Cry School," Motoko breathed, still examining the designs of the swords.

"Why yes, that is absolutely correct!" the attendant said with some surprise. Keitaro only assumed that the attendant did not meet many people who knew of this school. He saw the attendant take a look at Motoko. "I assume that from your blade you must be an avid swordsman and fearsome and terrible in battle, plus from the fact that you know deeply of swords history." Motoko turned around, finally taking a look at the man. "May I see your sword?" Keitaro looked at Motoko. He somehow doubted that Motoko would let a man such as he touch her precious blade that she had obtained from her elder sister.

"You will forgive me if I say only I am able to handle my sword," Motoko said after a pause. The attendant looked on curiously, then faced Motoko.

"Perhaps you would be agreeable to stay and watch a sword demonstration with these very blades? The sword-master, or sword-_mistress_, I should say, comes from that very school." Keitaro knew it must be Motoko's elder sister, Tsuruko. Who else could it be? Motoko must have known that and was pondering upon this idea very diligently. _Maybe she doesn't want Tsuruko ne-chan to know about…err…us,_ Keitaro thought. He studied Motoko some more. _But then again, maybe she thinks that the best way to introduce the concept would be now, plus it would be over sooner._

"Maybe I will please myself to the demonstration later. If you will excuse us?" Motoko asked, and taking the hint the attendant left to bother someone else. Keitaro turned back to the swords from the Gods' Cry School.

"That attendant doesn't know crap," Motoko said. Keitaro looked up, confused.

"Oh?" he asked. Motoko pointed.

"See? This blade is obviously not from our swords-smith. There are much too many errors and flaws in the cover alone. The design is also not ours…here, take a look at mine," Motoko said, and handed her blade to Keitaro. "This is probably a bad copy." Curious, Keitaro took it. It was simple and elegant, with only two characters on the blade sheath.

"The design on my blade is on the blade itself, not the sheath," Motoko murmured while she looked at other swords. Keitaro drew it and even though he had met this blade many times, even though just in the past week he had used it several times, he had never seen the flowing lines and curves that formed on the blade. It was simply indescribable. The shapes and lines implied great power, and Keitaro almost felt it flowing through his body, pulsing with his heartbeat and strengthening slowly. The only recognizable shape was a formation of clouds and what seemed like a shout, which Keitaro assumed meant a cry from the gods. He could swear he heard a humming growing louder, so he quickly sheathed the sword. He looked again at the blades in the container. _Nothing nearly so elaborate,_ Keitaro thought. _Even though there is the same cloud formation_. He was tempted to draw the blade again, but Motoko came back and whisked it out of his hands.

"I guess I should go see my sister since, we, ah, came all this way," Motoko said. She coughed, indicating that Keitaro should answer.

"Oh! Yes yes, right away," he said, remembering Tsuruko ne-chan and what she had done. _If you think about it…Tsuruko ne-chan is responsible for everything! Would I have met and fallen in love with the beautiful and charming Motoko-chan otherwise?_ He looked at Motoko, no, gazed at Motoko who was leading the way. Suddenly a face entered his mind, a face with long hair and a smiling beautiful face… _Narusegawa… where are you now? Why won't you talk to me?_ Keitaro asked. His head drooped as he sighed. Suddenly he shook his head violently. What was he thinking? Here he was on a date with Motoko-chan, and Narusegawa had popped into his mind? He slapped himself.

"Keitaro, here we—" Motoko began but suddenly a cry interrupted her.

"Motoko-chan!♥" And Keitaro felt a huge crushing weight squish him against Motoko. "And the landlord! How are you two?"

"E-elder sister!" Motoko said, withdrawing from the hug. People started to look towards their direction. "Not in public!"

"Ho ho ho," Tsuruko chuckled. "Still shy, Motoko-chan?" She released them, however, though she still was chuckling. "Have you—?"

"Have we what, elder sister?" Motoko asked, still looking around nervously.

"Switched back of course! Look at you two, on a date!" Tsuruko cried happily.

"Err…" Keitaro stuttered. "Yeah…"

"I knew it!" Tsuruko cried, and she hugged them again to their embarrassment. She whispered in Keitaro's ear.

"Have you two…you know…done it yet?" Motoko and Keitaro both flushed a deep red as Tsuruko released them.

"E-e-elder sister, I-I…" Motoko began to sputter, but Keitaro answered for her.

"No we have not," he said simply. This simplicity brought about a curious and unnerving smile from Tsuruko, but before anything could be said, there was an announcement.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, you have all waited patiently for the demonstration today, and the moment is now! Yes, today we have a master swords-mistress from Kyoto whose school is from the legendary Gods' Cry School! Please put your hands together for Swords-mistress Aoyama Tsuruko!" The sound of polite applause filled the room. Keitaro leaned over to Motoko.

"Won't her last name have changed?" he whispered. "Didn't she change her name?"

"She loves her heritage…she won't have changed it. At least, I don't think so," Motoko responded as she clapped politely as well. Tsuruko walked up and bowed slightly.

"I thank everyone who came for this demonstration," Tsuruko said professionally. "Today I will introduce the subject of ki. Does anyone here know what ki is?"

Keitaro and Motoko watched.

Bullet Train

_Au! What am I doing?_ Shinobu asked herself. She shook her head violently. What was she doing, anyways? A few hours ago Sempai and Motoko had left on a date, and Shinobu thought she could leave it at that. _Leave it at that,_ she thought glumly. But no, nothing is ever that easy. Something had compelled her to leave, to go away and find someone who could make it feel better. Shinobu had no hope for herself, but still her kind nature had not let her keep still.

"Next Stop: Mejiro. Next Stop: Mejiro," the PA system rang. Shinobu's ears perked up. Yes, this was her stop. The train screeched to a halt and the doors hissed open, letting copious amounts of people exit and enter; Shinobu was among those who exited. She tried to remember where exactly she was going.

"Yes…it was this way," Shinobu muttered to herself, looking all around to make sure she was indeed heading towards Naru house. For how could she do otherwise? It all seemed so wrong to Shinobu. She had seen the note (Haruka had told her) so she knew what Naru was feeling, in a way. Unrequited love was not something that was easy to bear, but maybe if she could talk to her…Shinobu sighed and drooped her head. _What am I doing?_ She thought miserably. Was she just wanting a comrade-in-arms to weep with? What could she possibly say that could cheer Naru up? She sank towards the ground in despair.

"Shinobu-chan? Is that you?" someone asked. Shinobu suddenly felt a strong grasp pull her up from the ground and she looked up to see Naru's father standing there.

"Na-na-Mr. Narusegawa!" Shinobu cried (A/N: I have no clue what the official Japanese name is). Naru's father stood there observing Shinobu.

"It is you, Shinobu-chan! I remember!" he said, and he stuck out his hand. Shinobu nervously grasped it, and suddenly was given a brutal arm shake. "How do you do!" he cried as he greeted her, then without warning hugged her. Shinobu blushed red. **BAAAM!**

"What are you doing to that poor girl!" a woman screamed pounding on Mr. Narusegawa. Mr. Narusegawa went flying into a lamp post and became a smoldering wreck.

"Au!" Shinobu cried. She realized that it was Mrs. Narusegawa pounding on her husband.

"And you must be Shinobu-chan! I remember you too. I'm sorry for the PATHETIC and PERVERTED way my husband acted," she said, leaning over and shouting "pathetic" and "perverted" at Mr. Narusegawa.

"Au…is he okay?" Shinobu asked. Mrs. Narusegawa chuckled.

"Yes, don't worry, I didn't hit him that hard," she said. "But tell me, what are you doing here?"

"Um…" Shinobu began, "I was looking for Na-naru."

"Oh," Mrs. Narusegawa said.

"Oh," Mr. Narusegawa said as well. They both looked at each other.

"What?" Shinobu asked. "What's wrong?" She felt worried. Had Naru run away again, even from her own home? What would happen then? Had she just wasted an entire trip?

"Don't worry, she's right here!" Mr. Narusegawa said suddenly.

"Really?" Shinobu asked. Mrs. Narusegawa slammed her purse down on his head.

"He's not telling you the whole truth, dear. You see, we all went out shopping, but, ah, I'm afraid we lost Naru and Mei," Mrs. Narusegawa explained softly while Mr. Narusegawa groaned ("My head…"). "Mei is Naru's younger sister you see."

"I remember," Shinobu said. "But I can help find them if you want!" Shinobu didn't know the city, didn't know the layout, and didn't even know what she was doing but she knew she had to help find Naru!

"Oh, that's okay. You see, they will come back eventually to eat," Mrs. Narusegawa said, standing up and pulling her husband up as well. "I'm just so glad Naru is very healthy."

"Bu-but what if they've been attacked!" Shinobu said. "Maybe someone robbed them or e-even…kidnapped them!" Naru's parents looked at each other again. "Or what if they are lying in an alleyway beat up? We _have_ to find them!" Shinobu was now glad she had caught Su just before she left (or rather Su caught her) and pulled out the Naru tracking device. She turned it on and quickly it emitted a beeping sound as well as showed a blinking light of where Naru was.

"It's really okay dear," Mrs. Narusegawa said again.

"No! Look at this! It's a Naru locator!" Shinobu said, pointing. "She's close by!"

"Wish I had that for my remote…OW!" Mr. Narusegawa cried, rubbing his arm where his wife had punched him. Shinobu started to follow where the locator pointed, intently watching the screen.

"Should we go?" Mrs. Narusegawa asked.

"Well she did ask not to let anyone from the Hinata-sou see her…but Shinobu-chan looks so desperate…" Mr. Narusegawa commented. His wife nodded.

"Let's see how this'll play out. Perhaps something good will come of it after all. She has been spending days crying in her room, coming down only to eat and use the restroom," Mrs. Narusegawa said. "I think she can heal her."

"As do I, my dear wife," Mr. Narusegawa said, putting his arm around her and leaning on her. Mrs. Narusegawa smacked him upside the head. **BAM!**

"I told you not to do that. Now follow her before she thinks we've abandoned her," Mrs. Narusegawa scolded.

"Ow…"

A/N: I will have to admit something here. I'm lazy. Yes, sadly this chapter has sucked beyond all possible belief because A.) I don't know how to write things like this, and B.) I don't know how to write things like this. Never having a real experience (yes, sniff I admit it) I don't know what to write for a date. This chapter did take an obscene amount of time to come out because I was having computer problems, literally my computer was (and still does) freeze every minute or two. So between trying to fix the computer, go to work, play Guild Wars, and enjoy summer with my friends left no time for this chapter. I was also putting it off because I don't know how dates go. Did I say that before? Oh well, since I'm sure all of you have gone out on a date, how about informing me on it in a review? That would be most informative. Thanks to all who read and Please R&R!


	15. Comrades Indeed?

Harmony of One

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina, any of its characters, or any thing Love Hina-ish. Ken Akamatsu does. So thank him for creating this awesome manga series.

A/N: This chapter promises to be almost as hard as the last chapter. The problem lies not so much as in not knowing what to write but what to write so it doesn't sound ultra-sappy. But I will try no matter what! We march bravely forth, and take a plunge into the unknown folds and crevices where my brain likes to spill out FanFiction. Let's go, and don't forget to please R&R!

"…" Denotes speech

_Italics_ Denotes thought

**Bold** Denotes sound effects

Certain Sounds:

**GOOMPH! **Means Fainting

**DOOONG!** Means Shock

:blah: Denotes time/time change

A scene/scene change is denoted by an extra line.

Chapter 15: Comrades Indeed

Naru kneeled at the table in her room, sipping tea while reading a book aptly titled _A Hundred and One Classic Japanese,_ as it contained such. She was in the last third of the fat and extensive book, and you could see that she was reading with interest. She put the tea cup down, and put the book to the floor, sniffing as she did so. A tear might have rolled down her cheek had she not sworn a couple days earlier not to cry about this anymore. Now, of course, she had purposefully brought it back up, and chided herself as a fool who couldn't release anything. **Knock knock knock!**

"Yes?" Naru asked, irked that she was being interrupted from her moment of solitude. Though she had been left alone for virtually the entire day and days before, she still wanted to be like that and only came down to eat or give her mother laundry. "Who is it?" she asked curtly.

"N-Naru ne-chan," a small voice said. "Someone's here to see you." Naru's heart rose in her chest, but she held it down because she knew it would only cause disappointment.

"Who is it, Mei?" Naru asked.

"It's me, Narusegawa-sempai!" Naru heard through the door. It slid open and Shinobu revealed herself. Naru was surprised and annoyed – she didn't think that Shinobu of all people would come to visit her, but was irate that her sister had ignored her wishes to especially not let anyone from the Hinata-sou come in. However, it was cute little Shinobu as opposed to Kitsune (to whom she would have told "Go away" immediately), so she let her come in. Mei withdrew and closed the door noiselessly.

"N-naru-sempai! You have to come back!" Shinobu started. However untactful it might seem, Shinobu could only be honest with herself and with everyone around her. Shinobu never lied if she could help it; even when Keitaro had first come (even though they all thought he was a Todai student) she had revealed the truth about her sad state of academic progress.

"I can't, Shinobu," Naru replied at once in response to Shinobu's honest outburst. "It…won't be right." Naru grabbed the tea cup and started to drink.

"But Naru-sempai…Sempai hasn't given up on you yet!" Shinobu said. Naru ignored her and picked up the book. Shinobu looked on helpless as Naru put her tea cup down and spoke from behind the book.

"I…I have given up on him," Naru said, falteringly.

"Naru-sempai! You can't do that!" Shinobu cried. Naru hid her face behind her book, and felt a pang of loneliness in her heart. This was the exact reason why she didn't want anyone coming from the Hinata-sou to visit her. "If you do that…" Shinobu started, but then paused because it took a great effort to say what she had to. "I would have to give up too." Naru looked up from her book at Shinobu who was smiling yet she saw tears dripping from Shinobu's face. Naru waited for something to come to her so that she might escape this uncomfortable confrontation not with Shinobu, but with herself. Even though she had been sitting in her room for quite a while now since she had run home, she had somehow managed to avoid asking herself questions that seemed to burst forth from her mind, her surroundings, and her being. Just now, ironically, she had been reading the tale of Urashima Taro again, having come across it the first time when bored she had grabbed the book and read random tales.

_No no no, I can't!_ Naru said to herself, though it was quite a mystery to Shinobu who was wiping away her tears why Naru suddenly started to smack herself with her book.

"Naru-sempai…don't you want…I mean I know you can…" Shinobu started to say, but stuttered nonsense instead. "If I can…I know, since you're so much smarter and prettier…"

"Shinobu-chan," Naru said, taking a deep breath as she did so. "Listen. I…yes, I did a-a-a…" she swallowed, "Admit my feelings for Keitaro…but he's got Motoko, and I can't bear to see them together nor apart! Don't you remember what happens when Motoko gets all sad like that?" Shinobu didn't say anything. "She goes crazy and decides things randomly!" There was a silence that followed that sentence while Shinobu sucked on her finger, which was a very bad habit she had sometimes. Suddenly, Shinobu took out the finger she had in her mouth out and spoke.

"But…don't you care about Sempai?" she asked. "Don't you want to be near him even if you can't be with him?" Naru opened her mouth to say no, but nothing came out, like the air had been snatched from her lungs by a vacuum. She opened and closed her mouth several times while swallowing, but still she couldn't say anything. "I know I would," Shinobu told her earnestly.

_She…is so much stronger than me_, Naru thought. _She loves Keitaro but so purely that only his happiness is concerned, even if it is not with her. Truly she loves him more than I, only proving that I don't deserve him…_

"While it may seem that I am strong," Shinobu started to say, tearing up again. "It is only because I am truly weak and selfish. Even if I can't have him…I have to be near him…if he is sad, I am sadder so I want him to be happy because I…I—" Shinobu's eyes suddenly became flooded and she grabbed a tissue to dam the flood.

"Shinobu…" Naru whispered to herself as she felt tears dropping treacherously as well.

"I just love Sempai so much!" Shinobu sobbed and Naru held her while they both cried for Keitaro.

Museum

**SLICE-A-DICEY! **A giant statue of a bear made of wood toppled down; the legs turned into wooden fragments, and the head was lopped off. Not to mention Tsuruko had somehow engraved her name on the stomach, and all in one stroke too. The audience cheered, clapped, whistled, and did just about anything else that indicated awe and appreciation.

"That was amazing!" the annoying announcer cried out. "We have no doubt been seeing one of the greatest sword shows on earth! Underneath that gentle demeanor lies a great sword-mistress! I wouldn't want to get into a fight with her!" The crowed laughed at his bad joke. "There is one more technique for which we would like a volunteer," the announcer said, and immediately several hands, that all belonged to males, shot up.

"Oh my, so many eager volunteers," Tsuruko said, chuckling with her free hand while the other held the sword behind her back resting on her shoulder. "But I think I shall choose…you!" Tsuruko said, and she pointed right at Keitaro.

"Me?" a guy asked who was standing right behind Keitaro and had his hand up.

"No, I'm sorry, the young man right in front of you…would you please come up?" Tsuruko asked. Keitaro looked around and saw he could be the only person, but he looked as Tsuruko and shook his head slightly.

"Now," she said, suddenly glaring at him and her eyes glowing like a demon. _Ah! She'll kill me if I don't go up!_ Keitaro thought, and quickly went up as people around him clapped. The announcer walked up to him and put his arm around him like he was his good friend or possibly a son.

"What's your name, sir?" he asked, shoving the microphone in his face. Keitaro backed slightly away from the microphone.

"U-urashima Keitaro," he said.

"Urashima Keitaro!" the announcer cried amidst more clapping. Keitaro shifted on his feet nervous not because he was in front of a lot of people, but because he wasn't sure what Tsuruko had planned. "Well, Keitaro – can I call you that? – are you ready to help show an ultimate technique of the famous God's Cry School!"

"Uh…no," he said, but people were already clapping so loud so no one heard him.

"Ok Keitaro," the announcer said once it was quiet again. "If you would so kindly sit on this chair…" He led Keitaro to a chair and Keitaro sat down. The announcer blabbed on about something, but Keitaro took this opportunity to glance at Tsuruko. Physically, she seemed calm and composed and as beautiful as ever, but the way she stood and the way she smiled…it unnerved Keitaro. He shook his head violently when suddenly he felt his feet and arms being tied to the chair!

"Thank goodness we have a willing volunteer, but to more effectively show the technique we will tie him to the chair!" the announcer said. Keitaro relaxed slightly. He knew what technique that Tsuruko would be executing. It was obviously the Evil Cutting Sword: Second Form, the one that would probably render the chair below him and the rock he now saw behind him into dust while he would be safe and probably hurt his butt on the floor.

"And the technique is called 'Evil Cutting Sword: Form Two'!" the announcer cried once more. Suddenly Tsuruko spoke up.

"Actually I would like to demonstrate a different technique," she said. Keitaro's heart missed a beat. _Um…_ he thought, not knowing what to think.

"And announce something," she continued. She walked to the announcer who was almost dumbstruck, because this obviously was not supposed to happen.

"Ah…of course!" the announcer said, trying to recover, and stood there while Tsuruko snatched up the microphone.

"I would like to announce something that is very important," she said. "First I would like my sister to come up here. Motoko-chan?" Tsuruko pointed with the microphone to Motoko who was trying to blend it at that point with the crowd, but the crowd shrank away from her like she had the plague and she was left conspicuous.

"Ah…" she said slowly, but everybody was clapping and a path was cleared so Motoko was forced to walk up to the stage.

"This here is my beautiful sister Motoko-chan," Tsuruko said, holding up Motoko's arm while people clapped and whistled, some of them wolf whistles.

"Now now, none of that," Tsuruko said. There was some laughter but the audience noise died down. "Because my dear little sister is getting married!"

"Wha—!" Keitaro cried.

"Wha—!" Motoko asked in horror.

"To this man strapped in the chair! Everyone clap for my dear little sister and her fiancé!" Tsuruko announced. Everyone did to the embarrassment of both on stage. Some people then even started to whistle.

"Lucky guy!" someone called out, to which Keitaro blushed and smiled oddly.

"Yeah…" he said while making a weird face. Motoko leaned over to Tsuruko

"Ne-chan!" Motoko hissed, while trying to hide her face from the crowd with her arm. She now wished she was wearing a gi so she could hide more of her face, but ignoring that she continued to scold her sister. "We haven't even talked about marriage! You can't go announcing things that we haven't even decided!" Tsuruko chuckled as she sat her sister, who had a distressed and offended face, down.

"Motoko-chan, you'll thank me for this later," she said. "Besides, what else would you guys do?" she chuckled. Ignoring Motoko sputtering, Tsuruko turned back to the crowd who was waiting anxiously; she put the microphone nearer to her mouth and spoke. "So who wants to see a new technique?"

"Me!" someone called from the crowd, and people started to clap annoyingly again.

"Ok!" Tsuruko cried, and grabbing her sword with two hands and dropping the microphone on to the floor she lifted her sword high into the air.

"Wait!" Keitaro cried. "What are you doing if it isn't the Evil Cutting Sword: Form Two!" Tsuruko, however, promptly ignored him and swung down.

"HIYA!" she cried, and Keitaro closed his eyes hoping it wouldn't hurt. **WOOOSH!** A wave of ki flew through Keitaro and he slumped over.

"Keitaro! Ne-chan! What did you do?" Motoko cried, getting up and immediately running to the limp form of Keitaro. Tsuruko came over as well and she took his wrist into her hand. The crowd was silent…had he died?

"Don't worry, people, he's perfectly fine! I feel a pulse!" Tsuruko said. "Now for a little explanation. Do you people know that the ki created from the body is in everyone?" There was a general murmur of agreement, and Tsuruko continued. "This ki that I manipulate I usually use as a cutting force, but, unofficially, I have just recently developed a technique to affect the ki stored within other people, thus while their outside appearance remains undamaged, their inside ki flow can be affected. What I did just know to this brave young man was use my ki to affect his and make it so he won't remember anything that has passed over the last year." The audience was wowed and suddenly Keitaro groaned and woke up.

"Where am I?" he asked. "And…why am I strapped to a chair? Tsuruko-ne-chan!" Keitaro cried, upon waking up. "And who are all these people?"

"Ho ho ho, manager, just a little crowd to see something unusual," Tsuruko said. "And while he can't remember anything, in a few hours at the most he will start to recollect what has happened, as the flow in the body will return to normal. However," Tsuruko grabbed her sword again. "I will undo this so he won't have to spend the next hours in constant agony of forgetfulness." Motoko stood by her fidgeting nervously. She watched her sister raise her arm to prepare for the stroke.

"By the way, Motoko, I'm actually modifying his memory so he will forget about Naru," Tsuruko whispered to Motoko with her arm raised for the swing..

"What!" Motoko cried. "No!" Tsuruko had begun her swing down when Motoko grabbed her arm.

"What the—?" Tsuruko said, fumbling and a wave of ki flew out and went through Keitaro again, and he slumped back over in his chair. "Motoko! You may have just sent him back till high school memory!"

"Ah…" Motoko said, realizing her mistake. Had she just sent Keitaro into the stupidity of his childhood, or the horror of his high school? The audience, however, was oblivious to all of this and watched the limp form of Keitaro. He slowly crept closer to him from his vantage point that was at one side of the stage.

"NO!" Keitaro suddenly yelled, startling the announcer. "Huh?" Keitaro asked, looking down at himself. "I'm whole!" The announcer grabbed the mike again and with a broad wave at Keitaro yelled,

"And there you have it! The great sword-mistress Aoyama Tsuruko!" The audience clapped once more. "Thank you for coming, and please visit again!" The audience dissipated and Keitaro was untied.

"Are you okay?" Motoko asked, checking Keitaro for any bruises or bumps.

"Yes yes Motoko-chan…no thanks to your sister," Keitaro said. He stood up.

"Ah, my technique was a success then?" Tsuruko asked. "I, even though retired, had stumbled across this and could not help but test it. At least you have not been permanently damaged."

"What? I'm your first test subject!" Keitaro yelled, his jaw dropping. "What are you, Su?" Tsuruko chuckled.

"Ho ho ho, manager, she creates far more useful things than I. Anyhow, you two should be getting along, eh? I bet some people are anxious…" Tsuruko said, winking, and she left.

"Ah..." Keitaro said. "Well…we should get along, Motoko." He checked his watch…it read about 12:00pm.

"My watch broke," Keitaro frowned. Motoko, who had been looking at her sister leaving, suddenly snapped back to attention.

"Oh, it's only around 5:00pm," she said looking out a window.

"Huh? How do you know that?" Keitaro asked.

"The sun is around that time. It's just at the beginnings of setting," Motoko explained. Keitaro nodded.

"Ah. Of course, it's common knowledge. A Todai guy like me knew that!" Keitaro exclaimed. Motoko looked at him, and then slapped him on the head.

"Ow!" Keitaro cried, rubbing his head at the point where Motoko had slapped him.

"Don't lie," Motoko said. They started to walk towards the exit. "Plus," Motoko added. "I took the test."

"Aww…" Keitaro whined. "That's mean…" They exited the museum.

Narusegawa Household

"Do you think…?"

"Nah…"

"But it's about time…"

"Yeah but…"

"It couldn't' have happened…"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Mrs. Narusegawa shouted, standing tall over her husband and Mei.

"Uh…" Mr. Narusegawa stuttered, embarrassed that he was caught. "Admiring the wood grain on the floor?"

"Mei!" Mrs. Narusegawa asked threateningly. Luckily, Mei was better at this.

"He told me to come," she said, pointing at Mr. Narusegawa.

"You…" Mrs. Narusegawa growled. "OUT!" And she swung her foot punting Mr. Narusegawa away from the window. In a much more gentle tone, she said to Mei, "Don't always listen to your father. Sometimes he can be very dumb." Mei nodded. "Now run along now," Mrs. Narusegawa said sweetly. Mei did, grateful she had been saved a scolding. Mrs. Narusegawa glanced at the now empty spot in front of her, the spot that was in front of her eldest daughter's room. Obviously they had been spying on Naru, but had they heard anything good? Mrs. Narusegawa noticed a crack in the door and a traces of a conversation spilling out, asking, no, begging to be listened to.

"Please," they cried. "Listen to us!" But Mrs. Narusegawa had more resolve and squashed these voices abruptly by slamming the door shut.

"She shouldn't leave the door open," Mrs. Narusegawa mumbled, walking back down the stairs to start preparing for dinner. It took a lot to feed a family of four, and she was sure that cute little Shinobu-chan would be staying over for dinner as well. She had, of course, wanted to talk to her daughter about this horrible man Urashima Keitaro for a long time now, but she knew that the years her daughter had spent at the Hinata-sou had inevitably created an impenetrable barrier between them. However, Mrs. Narusegawa always wanted her home to be a refuge, and if more than it was wonderful, but in times like this if not…well, that was just as good too. _At least I get to see my daughter,_ she thought as she began to cook.

"What's that smell?" Naru asked entering the kitchen. Shinobu was close behind, dabbing her eyes with a tissue.

"Dinner," Mrs. Narusegawa replied. Really, she couldn't complain. She didn't relish the memory of when he eldest left the house crying, but by now she had accepted it and since it was _her_ fault that she left…but she didn't want to think about it.

"It smells good mom!" Naru complemented, coming over. Shinobu followed. They watched her cook for a while, preparing various herbs, vegetables, and prepping the meat by pouring oil into the wok so she could cook the already marinated meat.

"Ah…um…" Shinobu stuttered. She started to say something, but then she didn't.

"What is it?" Mrs. Narusegawa asked.

"Well…err…you, ah, didn't put enough oil to cook the meat in," Shinobu said quickly. Mrs. Narusegawa looked. It seemed that there would be enough… (A/N: I really don't know anything about cooking, so this could all be fake, but it sort of sounds real to the unknowing person that I am…accept it as a general piece of advice about cooking that most people don't know) "It's just that with that meat – see it is leaner? – there needs to be more oil because the fat doesn't help as a natural oil of sorts. And I know that meat doesn't have quite the necessary juices to give it flavor to cook it as well, which is why you used that marinade I assume."

"Well…you know a lot about cooking than any seventh grader I know does!" Mrs. Narusegawa exclaimed. "Is it a hobby?"

"Um…you could say that," Shinobu said, drawing back. Naru interjected.

"You should see Shinobu, mom, every day she cooks dinner and sometimes breakfast and lunch on the weekends! It's really good!" Naru cried. Shinobu blushed at the praise.

"Well…I'm amazed, Shinobu-chan!" Mrs. Narusegawa said. "You'll make a good wife someday." Shinobu smiled at the usual comment.

"Yes!" she replied heartily.

"Though today I am cooking, so go make yourselves comfortable. Naru-chan, could you set up the table?" Mrs. Narusegawa asked.

"Yes mom," she replied. She went to do so while Shinobu offered her assistance.

"No no…well…you could ask the other family members to come to dinner," Mrs. Narusegawa said eventually.

"Yes ma'am!" Shinobu cried, and she left to find them.

"My my, what a spirit-full little girl," Mrs. Narusegawa commented.

(A/N: Why isn't "spiritful" a word?)

Downtown Hinata-sou

**SLAP!** A palm-across-the-face sound reverberated throughout the park.

"Go away you monster! I hate you Hisaki!" A girl sprinted away.

"No wait! Come back!" Hisaki, a stocky yet handsome high school boy cried, but the girl who had almost been attacked except for her boldness was gone. "Crazy females! I didn't like her anyways." He sulked, putting his hands into his pocket. Yes, this Hisaki is the very same one from Motoko's class, the one who would like to be known as "irresistible," as he had been in junior high. But when he entered High School, Motoko and Komachi didn't fall to his manly wiles and he had made it his goal to get them so he could do what he wanted with them. Motoko, since she was the leader, was his first target, but up until now he had no chance. Heck, he hadn't even gotten close to Sakura, their bubbly boy-struck friend, even though he saw that she clearly liked him.

"Stupid females," he muttered again. Today, he had wanted some fun, but apparently he was not going to be allowed any. He spotted a couple and snickered. _Well if I can't enjoy my day, I'm not going to let anybody else enjoy it either!_ He thought, and started to sneak behind the couple. He listened in to their conversation.

"Keitaro, I don't really feel like eating dinner. I think we've, ah, done enough."

"Nonsense Motoko-chan! What kind of date would end right if we didn't go for dinner?" And the couple walked swiftly by Hisaki, who was frozen to his spot in shock. Was that…had that been…Motoko? Aoyama Motoko, the girl who had so resolutely refused his charms, or anyone else's? And she was with…what looked like a COLLEGE STUDENT? Hisaki recovered in time to see them turn the corner and he followed them. Ah…a true voyeur in the making, but a very bad stalker. He tripped over a trash can and quickly looked away when Keitaro and Motoko turned around to see what the loud noise had been. When Hisaki turned back around, he saw they had moved along and he crept along the edge of the park where they were walking.

"What are you doing?" Startled, Hisaki jumped to see a decently pretty green-eyed brown haired girl.

"Ah…walking along the park?" Hisaki answered. "It's perfectly legal to do so!" Why was he defending himself against a girl?

"You sure you weren't stalking someone?" the girl asked.

"What! Of course not!" Hisaki replied, but not with enough resolve.

"Liar," the girl accused. "I saw you watching Keitaro-sama and that horrid horrid girl he is with."

"Keitaro?" Hisaki asked in wonder. _So that's his name,_ he mused to himself.

"What! You don't even know of the sacred and beautiful Urashima Keitaro?" the girl asked in surprise and anger.

"Should I?" Hisaki asked. **SLAP!** For the second time that day, Hisaki was slapped across the face. "What the—?" he started to shout in anger but suddenly he saw a giantess looming over him, her eyes glowing with some evil force.

"If you EVER," Morita Noriko shouted, "Treat MY Keitaro-sama with such flippant disregard again…YOU SHALL BE PUNISHED!" Hisaki, great man that he was, whimpered.

"Ye-yes!" he squeaked. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and Hisaki was finding that out quickly.

"LET'S GO FOLLOW THEM!" she demanded, and Hisaki followed. He hated this girl who somehow had commanded him around. Who was she? With all his experience, you would think he would know women had a secret evil side like this to them. So why did he follow anyways? **SLAP!** _Oh yeah, that's why,_ Hisaki thought as he rubbed his sore cheek.

Fancy Restaurant

"Well you chose a nice place," Motoko commented, entering the waiting area of Watanabe's. Keitaro looked around to see if a lot of people were waiting for a seat. Sometimes, he knew there would be a 30 min waiting period or sometimes a 2 hour waiting period. He did not want to wait for 2 hours. _I should have made a reservation,_ he thought, but he hadn't known the date was going to run this long.

"Yes…" Keitaro replied, realizing with a deepening feeling in his gut it was going to be at least 45 minutes until a table freed up. Keitaro told Motoko to wait while he walked up to the hostess anyways.

"Hello and welcome to Watanabe's! Are you looking for a table for two?" she asked enthusiastically. Keitaro nodded his affirmation while he fingered his wallet. Did he have enough cash? "Ok…let's see…the wait will be about…ah…one hour and fifteen minutes. Here is your number." Keitaro was handed a slip of paper with the number 258 scrawled on it. _An hour and fifteen minutes? What am I going to do for that time?_ He thought. "Would you like a menu while you wait or shall you be returning in that time?" The hostess' eyes perked up as Keitaro thought.

"No…no, I would not like a menu. We'll be back in an hour," Keitaro replied, and the hostess cheerfully nodded.

"Ok then," she affirmed, and Keitaro walked back to Motoko.

"She said it'll be an hour wait," Keitaro informed Motoko.

"An hour?" she asked. "Well…is it worth it?" Keitaro shrugged his shoulders.

"I like it but an hour is long…" he said. "We could do something else for an hour."

"Like what?" Motoko asked.

"Ah…" Keitaro stumbled. Motoko stood up briskly.

"We'll be back since you like it. We can just take a stroll in the park," Motoko said. Motoko seemed to have grabbed this idea from no where. _A s-stroll in the park? On a Saturday night?_ Keitaro thought as Motoko led the way. Did Motoko want to…no…kiss? _Isn't that what people do at a park at night?_ Keitaro thought, remembering several times where he had cut through the park at night and seen such. She walked out of the restaurant, with Keitaro following behind.

Keitaro reflected on how his date was going. For the second one in his life, it hadn't been that bad. Sure at one point Morita Noriko had busted in and they had run out, but that had been short lived. The date was, actually, a really smashing success. Right now, they felt comfortable (well…at least comfortable to talk to each other) and could converse freely, unlike the morning. It was almost like they had known each other since childhood and had grown up together, though this clearly wasn't the case, and Keitaro sighed in relief. Yes…the date was going very very smoothly.

Suddenly Keitaro realized they were at the park and Motoko put an arm over his shoulder. Ironic, because Motoko was 4 cm taller than Keitaro who was at a very respectable 176 cm, and because Keitaro had been thinking of doing the same thing only he realized that he was shorter than her. Suddenly he felt nauseated and stumbled on his own feet.

"Keitaro!" Motoko asked, taking her other hand to grab him. Keitaro didn't respond. "Keitaro!" Motoko felt his pulse, but it was still strong. So he had just fallen unconscious? Motoko listened for his breath and heard a steady noise. She breathed in relief, but why had he fainted?

"KEITARO-SAMA!" Motoko's heart sank at the shout. "DON'T DIE!" Motoko reluctantly turned around and saw Morita Noriko rushing at her, her hands waving frantically while…while Hisaki from her class followed! What the heck?

"Keitaro-sama!" Noriko shouted again. She stopped at a safe distance from Motoko; safe meaning ten feet. "Did you hurt him!" She was nearly frantic, and Motoko was incensed at the implication that she had hurt Keitaro. Wasn't she on a date with him?

_Wasn't she indeed, _Motoko thought as she reflected herself. For her first date ever, and considering her usual luck with all things feminine, this was going extremely well. Had she acted like a proper date partner? She didn't usually use the word girlfriend, but now…wasn't she? Girlfriends go on dates with their boyfriends, didn't they? And wasn't she on a date with Keitaro? Her heart fluttered slightly. _A date…_ she thought. She had become so comfortable with Keitaro that she felt like she had known him for a very long time.

"Keitaro-sama! Wake up!" Motoko heard Noriko shout from her reflection. _Yet I have as much claim on Keitaro as this girl does. In fact, she has probably admired him for longer,_ Motoko thought. But one thing remained true for Motoko that was not true for Noriko – Keitaro had chosen her. She was glad that a stalker like her did not get her way.

"No way! Motoko-chan, it IS you!" Hisaki shouted. "It…can't be!" he cried. "What about the anti-men attitude? And you were seduced by a college student! Nooooo!" Hisaki was clearly distraught, because he had wanted to be the first one to go out with Motoko. It was a great blow to his ego. He staggered.

"Keitaro-sama!" Noriko shrieked again. "Come back to life!" Motoko, who had Keitaro's head in her lap, was deciding whether she should say or do anything. She had just decided to keep quiet when she heard another shout, one she hadn't expected to hear. It was so unexpected that when she turned around to confirm what she had heard, she almost fainted.

"Keitaro! Keitaro!"

"Sempai!"

"Mo-chan!"

"Motoko-chan? Keitaro-Kun?"

:About half and hour before:

Somewhere _Else_ Downtown

"Ah! Your mom can cook really well!" Sakura-chan said, licking her lips. She had just come from Komachi's house, where they had ate after giving up on the trail of Motoko and Keitaro, for who know how long Motoko could stay in there?

"I better think so, considering you ate ALL of the pot stickers," Komachi said, slightly irritated. Pot stickers were her favorite food that her mom cooked, and Sakura had eaten virtually all of it, leaving her only a couple dismal looking ones.

"Well…it was just SO good!" Sakura cried out. She clapped her hands together in enthusiasm and jumped up in joy because they had been just _SOOOO_ good. **BUMP!** Sakura crashed into another person while jumping.

"Oh, I'm sorry…" Komachi said, excusing Sakura because she was such a clumsy person like that.

"It's okay, I…Komachi-chan?" Komachi looked up and examined the person who had been bumped into.

"S-shinobu? And Naru?" Komachi asked mouth agape. Indeed, they were right there in person. Komachi had heard rumors that Naru had left, but here they were! Yet indeed she had seen Keitaro-kun and Motoko-chan on a date! What the heck was going on?

"What the heck is going on!" Komachi asked. Naru and Shinobu helped Sakura up.

"We're just shopping downtown," Shinobu explained. "After eating."

"Just like us!" Sakura said. "Want to shop with us?" Komachi sighed. Obviously Sakura had no idea what they had just witnessed, even though they lost the pair in the museum. The pair, consisting of Motoko and Keitaro, they had spied on through a video camera, but died after only half an hour and it seems they spent long time in there as Komachi assumed they, or at least, Motoko, would. Sakura, it seemed, had no sense of what Naru and Shinobu were going through. Or at least Naru.

"Sure," Shinobu replied. They all stood together, silent for a moment. "Well, where should we go?"

"We could get something to eat!" Sakura said. **GOOMPH!** Komachi fainted.

"You JUST ate at MY house!" she cried in frustration. How did she stay so thin if she ate so much? How did she even manage to walk with so much food in her belly?

"Oh yeah! And it was good!" Sakura realized. _The food must power her stupidity,_ Komachi concluded. There was another silence that permeated the atmosphere.

"So…" Sakura asked, "How's life at the Hinata-sou? How's Kei-kun doing?" Komachi could not believe what she had just heard. Sakura _knew_ that Keitaro and Motoko were a couple, but now was blatantly asking Naru and Shinobu, who Komachi knew were the two who probably loved Keitaro the most along with Motoko, how he was? Komachi didn't know that Naru had run away, but definitely knew that if Motoko and Keitaro were now "boyfriend and girlfriend," something must have happened between Naru and Keitaro. _I should have told Sakura that!_ Komachi said. _But I would have thought she would be more insightful with things like that! What is going on with her today?_ Sakura was not a rude girl, yet she had forgotten in several minutes that she had just eaten?

"Um…" Shinobu stuttered, eyeing Naru from the corner of her eye. "He's…okay…and life is…fine." Shinobu decided to answer neutrally. She had a special camaraderie with Narusegawa at the moment, and did not feel like threatening it. Not that she would have said anything even if she had just met Naru on the street.

"Really now?" Sakura asked. Suddenly Komachi saw Sakura wink at her! _What the—?_ Komachi thought. _Is she planning something devious?_ Often in the past, Sakura had tried to set Komachi and especially Motoko up with boys she thought would past their inspection, but of course these encounters always ended up with someone getting hurt, and it usually wasn't Komachi or Motoko. But now…what could she be planning?

"Well," Naru said, clearly changing the subject. "We were just going to the mall and—"

"We were going there too!" Sakura exclaimed again. _Lies!_ Komachi thought in horror. _We were just going to the bookstore!_ "Let's go together!" Naru and Shinobu looked at each other, shrugged, then nodded.

"Sure," they both agreed, and Komachi fainted again. **GOOMPH!**

"Are you coming Komachi?" Sakura asked. She winked at her while Naru and Shinobu chatted with each other lightly. "C'mon," she whispered. "I have a good plan on how to get them to forget about Kei-kun!" She stood up and said loudly, "Alright then. Let's go!" and skipped in the direction towards the mall. _Wait!_ Komachi thought in horror again. _I'm sure they _don't_ want to be reminded!_ But it was too late for Sakura had already grabbed Shinobu's and Naru's hands and swung them while she skipped in such an overjoyed manner that Shinobu and Naru nearly tripped. Komachi followed slowly after them. _What is Sakura thinking?_ Komachi thought. _Is she out to help them or ruin Motoko-chan and Keitaro-chan's date?_

A park was on the right as they walked to the mall. Komachi glanced down the lane that led to it and wondered to herself if Keitaro and Motoko were down there this very minute. She shook her head violently. _Of course it would be preposterous that they would be at the park just when I passed by,_ Komachi thought.

"What are you getting at the mall?" Sakura asked joyfully. Komachi knew that some sort of conversation had been going on, but she for some reason had been ignoring it. It was all trite and useless anyways.

"Oh. Well, we were actually going to, ah, get our hair cut," Shinobu said. "And maybe buy some pants. I need some," Shinobu added almost second-handedly.

"Hair cut eh?" Sakura asked, smiling. Shinobu nodded, but not without looking at Naru quickly. Komachi caught that glance, and to her it seemed that Shinobu was being especially careful to not offend Naru. _Hmm…Hair-cutting usually signifies a broken relationship! Does this mean they are both over Keitaro?_ Komachi thought. (A/N: I will make a confession here. I have no idea if this is true. I read it in a manga, Marmalade Boy, which by itself is a crazy story, and have decided to incorporate my new found maybe fake knowledge here. By the way I don't own any rights to Marmalade Boy)

"Stop trying to escape and follow me now!" Komachi heard someone shout.

"But…" **SLAPPITY!** They all didn't miss the distinct palm that someone's face had just received. With a whimper, the second voice meekly replied, "Ok." They all looked over at a boy and girl who had just done this exchange, and it seemed quite humorously enough that the boy had been the one trying to escape and the girl who had slapped him was in charge.

"Haha," Sakura gleefully laughed. "That boy looks like Hisaki." Komachi looked closer at the boy. With a sickening and curious sensation at the same time, she suddenly realized that indeed it _was_ Hisaki. And was that Morita Noriko…?

"Hey," Naru exclaimed before Komachi could make her exciting revelation. "Isn't that Morita Noriko?"

"Yeah! She's the girl who always followed Sempai around!" Shinobu said.

"You mean stalked him," Naru snorted in disgust. "As if any girl should be stalking Keitaro…"

"What is she doing here? Is she going out with that boy?" Shinobu asked. "Did she give up on Sempai?" Komachi spoke up for the first time in a while since they had bumped into Naru and Shinobu.

"No. Girls like that never give up," she said. "Plus that boy is from my class and a real jerk. He likes to prey on innocent females. From what I've seen Morita Noriko isn't one to take it easy, and retaliated."

"But where are they going?" Shinobu asked. "And why are they together?" There was no one to answer her, and Komachi was about to shrug it off and not bother when Sakura smiled slyly and said,

"There's only one way to find out!"

:Back to the present:

The Park

Keitaro felt odd. For some reason his head was pounding like it never had before, even though he was resting on something soft. What was the reason for the pain? He didn't open his eyes yet, because he felt that if he did the pounding just might increase. In the far distance, he thought he heard several voices calling his name. _No…_ he thought groggily. _Let me stay here for a bit more._ The voices grew louder. He could almost make out what they were saying, but the pounding in his head was louder than the voices. _Please let me rest until the pounding stops!_ He thought again. Maybe if he shut his ears then he would not hear them anymore. _How do I shut them without moving my hands?_ He thought. Any slight movement was another thing that might increase the pounding. _Huh,_ he thought. _Maybe I was just born to suffer. _Suddenly the pounding stopped and he heard voices calling his name crystal clear.

"Sempaaiii!"

"Keitaro-chan!"

"Kei-kun!"

"Keitaro-sama!"

"Keitaro!"

Five different ways of calling his name, yet none struck him more than the last one. _Narusegawa!_ He thought and instantly opened his eyes and sat up straight. The scene he woke up to made him instantly regretting he did so. He saw clearly from her surprised face that he had been laying on Motoko's lap, and for some reason Morita Noriko was there as well as another boy. Narusegawa and Shinobu were running towards him with Sakura and Komachi close behind. And they were _all_ yelling his name!

"Keitaro-sama! You're awake!" Morita Noriko cried.

"Sempai! Thank goodness!" Shinobu cried as well, still rushing over.

"Ha! I knew Kei-kun couldn't actually faint!" Sakura shouted.

"Keitaro-chan! That was close," Komachi said, slowing down from running.

"KEITARO YOU IDIOT!" And although he had heard this shout many times before, although he had received many punches in his life time, and although he knew he was one of the unluckiest guys in the world, especially when it comes to love, when he saw Narusegawa running towards him with her fist ready to smack him for all he was worth, the love he had for her seemed to wink out of existence and as he felt a connection from her fist to his face even the suggestion of love for this violently mad girl who always jumped to conclusions sputtered and died. All the months, weeks, he had spent madly in love with her, crazy for her, willingness to travel to the ends of the earth for her, evaporated in a single punch that sent him flying away from Motoko's side and into the distance where the love streamed out of him in tears.

Everyone stood in shock at Narusegawa who had just smashed into oblivion a man who had just woken from consciousness. Her eyes shone with tears.

A/N: How's that for an angsty ending eh? Eh? Well, I figured it was necessary because somehow I found I needed to make Keitaro fall out of love with Narusegawa (that crazy girl! By the way, I'm NOT a Naur-basher) and I figured why not let this chapter be the one? So one more chapter towards the end, one giant leap for me! Please R&R!


	16. The Epilogue of a Naru Attack

Harmony of One

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina, any of its characters, or any thing Love Hina-ish. Ken Akamatsu does. So thank him for creating this awesome manga series.

A/N: All-righty, chapter 16! Hopefully, we'll come to the end of this soon so I can label it DONE and then I won't feel guilty for writing other stories. I recall one person saying it's boring…well, I'm sorry you feel that way, but all things have this progression, and my stories always do as well. Although, I haven't focused on this one for a while, so we'll see how I progress from here. This should prove to be interesting. Thanks for reading, and please R&R!

"…" Denotes speech

_Italics_ Denotes thought

**Bold** Denotes sound effects

Certain Sounds:

**GOOMPH! **Means Fainting/Face-Faulting

**DOOONG!** Means Shock

:blah: Denotes time/time change

----------------------------------- Denotes a scene/scene change

Chapter 16: The Epilogue of a Naru Attack

:6:00 pm, _still_ March 6th:

------------------------------Hinata-Sou Downtown Park----------------------------

There was still a sense of awe and amazement and the audacity of Naru. Did she? Had she? Thoughts like these passed through everyone's mind, and they had no idea what to say. Naru's eyes still flowed with tears freely, and she suddenly burst into a sprint out of the park.

"Wait!" Komachi cried, breaking the silence as Naru sprinted away. "Naru-chan!" It was to no avail. Naru continued to sprint away, away into the distance towards one could only assume, home.

"We have to help her!" Shinobu cried. "Naru-sempai shouldn't be left like that!" But no one moved still. Finally, Naru disappeared into the horizon. Shinobu was at a loss at what to do. She herself couldn't believe what Naru-sempai had done, but still did that mean she deserved to be treated like that? _No!_ Shinobu thought firmly. Following this decision, she sprinted towards Naru-sempai. If no one else was going to do anything, she was. She ran fast, possibly faster than she ever had. If she didn't catch her now, then she would never ever forgive herself.

"Should we follow?" Komachi asked, pointing to the retreating figure of Shinobu. Still, no one moved.

"I think," Sakura suddenly put in, "we should split up. Half of us go find Keitaro, and the other half go catch Naru-chan. Shinobu's right, she can't be left like that. Okay, I'll go get her then!" Sakura started running towards Shinobu. "Mo-chan and Komi-chan, go get Keitaro!" She also disappeared into the distance. Motoko and Komachi stood there for another second.

"I guess," Komachi said, "We should go." She looked at Motoko. Motoko was still sitting on the bench; her face had a strange expression that Komachi couldn't quite discern: was it anger? Hate? Sadness? Motoko suddenly stood up.

"Let's go," she ordered. "Morita Noriko must have already left to find him!" Komachi looked around her and indeed saw that she and Hisaki had disappeared. _Probably the moment he got hit,_ Komachi thought. Motoko started running towards the direction Keitaro was hit, which was incidentally the exact opposite direction Naru had run away to.

"Wait up!" Komachi called, and started to run as well.

----------------------Along the Streets of Downtown Hinata-Sou------------------------

Tears are a funny thing. They can be used to express two totally different emotions; one an intense joy and laughter, the other intense pain and sadness. What causes this to be so? Do they just appear when our emotional side is jerked so hard our body reacts in this way?

This is why Naru was crying. She herself couldn't have told you why she was crying, only that something vital had changed in her, something that she couldn't catch. The wild beast known as love seemed to elude her and perhaps it was the despair of ever taming it. She had been so close, it seemed, as she had journeyed far enough to have seen the vicious beast. Why now, when she was so close did it finally disappear into the bush, never to be found or seen again? Would she have to trek through another jungle in order to find it?

"That stupid stupid Keitaro! STUPID!" she yelled on a savage urge. "I _hate_ him! I hope his immortality fails and he dies this time. Stupid stupid STUPID!" She kept on running as she cursed Keitaro for his idiotic behavior. How she ever loved a man like that…she will never know. But the tears…why did they come?

"I'm obviously glad to be rid of him. Now I don't have to antagonize myself," Naru told herself. "No more problems! I should just go back!" But she didn't stop, and in fact when she heard Shinobu and Sakura calling her name she started to run faster. _Faster!_ She told herself. _Faster!_ Why couldn't she talk to them? What would she say?

"I just punched that idiot for being so stupid" was a possibility, but a very implausible explanation. There was _no_ good reason why she did it; if there was, she probably wouldn't be sprinting away as fast as she can from him. This way was the way home, but that was only a coincidence. It was, more importantly, the way furthest from Keitaro. Because he was a _STUPID IDIOTIC PERVERTED USELESS DIRTY MORONIC INSENSITIVE UNTHINKING AND JUST PLAIN STUPID DORK! WHAT A LITTLE &$&!_ Naru was upset. She couldn't stop thinking just how dumb Keitaro was and all of his faults.

"Naru-sempai!"

"Naru-chan!" _Faster!_ Naru thought. What was their problem? Couldn't they tell that she wanted to be alone by herself? She started to get angry now, and the tears in her eyes rose in temperature. Had she been crying all this time?

"Go away! Leave me alone!" Naru shouted back at them. She began to get tired. She usually never ran this much; for one thing she didn't have the time. She had been running for five minutes straight, and her legs didn't seem to want to move very much.

"Naru?" As Naru sprinted by a café she heard her name being called and saw Kitsune sitting down drinking an ice tea. An urge swelled in her to stop and talk to Kitsune; they weren't best of friends for nothing. _But then again, I haven't been a very good friend to Kitsune lately,_ she thought miserably, and added to her sense of self-pity that Kitsune probably didn't want to talk to her either.

"Naru, stop!" Kitsune shouted, but Naru closed her mind. They didn't know anything about…love. They were all too far away, just too far away…Naru closed her eyes for a second. In this second, she felt the urge return; suddenly, she wanted something, someone, to grab on to and she faltered and Kitsune caught her arm.

"What are you doing?" she asked, and Naru suddenly grabbed Kitsune tight and sobbed into her chest, breaking down then and there.

"Naru-chan!" Sakura cried out.

"Naru-sempai!" Shinobu shouted.

:Fifteen Minutes Later:

--------------------------------Opposite Direction, in a mud pit---------------------------

What does a punch tell you? Hate, anger, and pain. Usually, one gets punched when the person punching them hates them a significant amount. Keitaro knew this, yet somehow didn't manage to see it until now. Narusegawa must have always hated him, if she punched him so many times. _Why did I only realize this now?_ He thought as he mucked about in a pit of mud, cleaning his face. Time after time after time, Narusegawa only served him with confusion, annoyance, and pain. He never felt pure hate from her, but certainly could sense the deep feelings of betrayal Narusegawa sometimes felt when Keitaro did…well, whatever he normally did. Perhaps that was from her shallow understanding of things and her tendency to jump to conclusions, but Keitaro knew at this moment that he could never ever love her again. What was it that had lured him in the first place? Her smile, and her occasional kindness. _Unfortunately,_ Keitaro thought almost angrily, if he could ever really get angry, _she only puts on that face once in a blue moon, along with her kindness_. And now, for doing nothing, he had been socked in the face. And he landed in a mud pit. At least he hadn't changed into nice clothes for his date with Motoko.

"Motoko!" he suddenly exclaimed. What had happened to her? What had happened to Shinobu, Komachi, and Sakura as well? Forget Narusegawa, in fact, bloody well kick her into the gutter of his brain. Where did Motoko go? She was always a frail creature emotionally, and her outlook of this event…what may have happened? Did she go berserk on anyone? He got up and wiped himself off as neatly as he could. He glanced at his watch briefly, remembered it was broken, looked at the sky, and then estimated he had still one half hour until their table at Watanabe's opened up. If he didn't manage to make that, then the date would not have ended properly, which would make him feel like he failed himself, the idea of a date, and, most importantly, Motoko. And right now, he really wanted to end this date well. _Because then,_ he thought while looking around for the direction where Motoko might possibly be,_ I might be able to have another one._

But there was nothing there. He didn't see what he could do, because he had no idea from where he had been punched. Although, he had been in the park right? He knew where that was…at least if he could find where he was now. He looked around him, but only saw a half-built building.

"Hey you! What are you doing here without a hard hat on!" a burly man shouted, lumbering towards Keitaro. "It's dangerous. Can't you see the sign that says 'Danger. Hard Hat Area'? And who are you anyways?"

"Ah…" Keitaro stuttered. _Well, at least I know where I am now,_ Keitaro thought. The only place in a 10 km radius that had construction was the local mall. The mall was always being added to; it sort of made Keitaro sick, because who needed all that shopping?

"I asked you," the burly man repeated, "Who you are? And how did you get here without a hard hat on?" Keitaro still faltered for a response. Finally the burly man got angry.

"Just get out of here!" he said, and picked Keitaro up by the collar and tossed him out. He stumbled and landed in the street where several cars swerved to miss him. **HONK! BEEP! HONK!**

"Don't stand in the middle of the road, jerk!" Keitaro managed to barely roll onto the sidewalk without being crushed.

"Phew!" he breathed. Suddenly, without any warning, a crushing weight landed on his back and he was smashed down into the sidewalk, his face inches from the road.

"KEITARO-SAMA!" _Oh, you've got to be kidding me,_ Keitaro thought miserably. "I found you! I found you!" Noriko shouted with glee. Cars whizzed by Keitaro's face, barely inches from taking off his head. Just as Keitaro was going to shout at her, she got off herself and pulled him to his feet.

"Keitaro-sama! I knew I would find you first! It was fated!" Noriko cried happily. She clasped her hands together, her green eyes shimmering at him. Hisaki, who had been forced to follow her, collapsed on a bench in front of a bus stop. Keitaro noticed him wiping his brow with his t-shirt. _I wonder what tortures this girl has put him through. Although he's a jerk,_ Keitaro reflected, _he probably didn't deserve what this girl gave him._ "Keitaro-sama!"

"What is it?" Keitaro replied. Noriko jumped up and down excitedly.

"I'm so glad you're talking to me! I know that you have to love me! This is proof!" Noriko said. Keitaro sighed; he had been thinking about what he had to say to this girl and with a great effort decided to go through with it.

"Look," he said, and regretted starting like that when Noriko's eyes brightened. "Look, I have to tell you to stop following me. I…I appreciate you might find someone like me desirable,"

"I do! I do! You're the best, Keitaro-sama! No one else comes even close to your ultimate perfection!" Noriko told him eagerly.

"But I do not and cannot reciprocate the same feeling. I want you to stop following me because, frankly, you're beginning to be an irritation," Keitaro finished. Morita Noriko stood there silent for a moment. This moment, however, lasted a lot longer than the 60 seconds that it actually did last. Noriko's face started sad, turned blank, then contorted into a frown. Suddenly, she started to shout.

"NOOOO! NOOOOO! THAT'S NOT FAIR!" She started to cry, tears pouring down her face. "IT…IT CAN'T BE!" she broke down on the sidewalk. Hisaki, who had been simply resting on the sidewalk, looked over. He looked away, then, curiously, came over shaking his head. Then to Keitaro's complete surprise, he picked her up and she curled into a ball and sobbed into Hisaki's chest.

"You know, I hate this girl," he told Keitaro. "I'm sure you know that. But I just hate it even more when girls cry. It…it's just so annoying. So, ah, yeah…I'll take her away. I'm sure you have someone you need to look for," Hisaki said. He started to walk away with Noriko crying into his chest when she looked up.

"Nooo!" she cried, then tried to get out, but Hisaki held her firmly. "I need to be near Keitaro-sama! It must have been that horrid girl that told him to say that! Where is she?" _Where is Motoko indeed,_ Keitaro thought.

"Keitaro-kun!" Keitaro spun around. Komachi and Motoko were running towards him.

"I'm glad to see you!" Komachi said when they approached him.

"It's YOU!" Noriko shouted, and sprung out of Hisaki's arms. "You tricked my Keitaro-sama into saying that I'm an irritation!" She pointed an accusatory finger at Motoko. Motoko stopped, looked at Keitaro who shrugged, and then turned back to face Noriko.

"You can't trick me!" she cried. "Keitaro-sama is mine!" She glared at Motoko. Komachi felt the tension increase more, and tried to help clean it up.

"Look," Komachi said. "Let me try to explain this to you clearly. No one likes a stalker." Noriko stuck her tongue out at Komachi.

"No one believes you, stupid girl," she said. Komachi looked at Motoko and shrugged.

"Noriko…" Keitaro started, but he fell silent. The tension in the air rubbed people's shoulders it was so dense. He looked from Noriko, to Motoko, to Komachi, and then for some reason looked at Hisaki who was shaking his head...was that with regret? Shame? Superiority? Or perhaps Hisaki simply saw the entire situation as pathetic and this was his way of showing it.

"Noriko…" Keitaro started again; she turned towards him and her countenance immediately brightened.

"Yes?" she answered ever so sweetly, her eyes innocent. Keitaro wanted to sigh and put his hand over his face in the shameful way Noriko was acting; he didn't know the girl, but no one should act like this.

"Noriko, to be frank, I _do not_ want your affection, however good intended it is," he said. He grabbed Motoko's hand as proof. "I'm sorry, but my affections…lie elsewhere." He glanced over at Motoko who was only the slightest tinge of red, instead of her usual beet-like color.

"No no no!" Noriko shrieked. She shook her head vigorously. "I don't believe it!"

"Noriko…" Keitaro said. She stomped on the ground in anger.

"I simply can't—" but before she could finish her sentence, Motoko grabbed Keitaro's face and plunged into a kiss.

"Oh…my…" Komachi stuttered as she blushed a deeper red than what Motoko was blushing at that moment. Noriko fainted.

"Umglh…? Motoglo?" Keitaro asked while Motoko had her face pressed against his; he was running out of breath. Suddenly, Motoko released him and they both started panting for air.

"I'm…sorry…" Motoko breathed, "I didn't know how to shut her up…and…I've never really done that before…at least, consciously." Keitaro looked at her, still breathing heavily.

"You guys are really sad," Komachi said, her face in her hand. "You almost passed out."

"Well…" Keitaro and Motoko both said, looking away. Hisaki picked up Noriko once more.

"Sorry about this…" he said. He began to walk away, but then looked back.

"Motoko-chan…" he started.

"Yes?" she asked. Hisaki opened his mouth, and then hesitated. "What is it?" she asked once more.

"Err…" Hisaki stuttered, then looked down. "I'm sorry," he said, then left.

"Wow," Komachi commented. "That was unexpected." She rubbed her chin in thought. "Maybe Noriko did one good thing…" She trailed off as Hisaki left carrying Noriko in his arms. A silence ensued as the threesome stood there awkwardly.

"Uh…" Keitaro spoke, breaking the silence. "If we leave now we could make it back to Watanabe's just in time…although I am covered in mud."

"Oh!" Motoko answered. She looked at Komachi.

"Just go you two; don't worry about me. I'm…glad you two worked out your problems. I just have to go find where Sakura ran off to," Komachi told them. She waved at them and walked off in the opposite direction.

"Well then," Motoko said, grabbing Keitaro's hand, now a little more comfortable with this action. "Let's go."

---------------------------Local Café in Downtown Hinata-Sou--------------------------

"Waaaaaahhhhhh!" Naru bawled. She was not having a good time living this down. One guy…there was only one guy…ever…that she had wanted…and he had slipped through her fingers. Gone. Never to be seen again. "Waaaaaaah!"

"There there…" Kitsune said, trying to console her friend with a pat on the back. Shinobu and Sakura sat there silently, observing. What else could they do? What could they say? Nothing…nothing except…_maybe…_ Shinobu thought. She opened her mouth but Sakura suddenly spoke up before her.

"Keitaro-kun doesn't know much," she said. "He doesn't know what he's missing." Naru turned to look at Sakura, with a look that Shinobu couldn't quite make out. Was she angry? Was she in disbelief? "You see," Sakura continued. "He simply has a problem, the way I look at it." _Au! What is she saying? _Shinobu thought. _This is not the way to help someone! Doesn't she know that she is crying because Sempai has left her forever? She doesn't, nor has she ever hated Sempai!_

"Think about it," Sakura continued. "I may only be in high school, but I guess if even I can see it then you should too. Keitaro-kun has gone out from ignorance. He simply doesn't know that you are a wonderful girl who loves him very much." Sakura stood up and went over to Naru. She bent over and whispered into her ear.

"You see, I think I know why he has gone. You haven't given Keitaro-kun an opportunity to prove himself wrong, and now he has decided that the wrong-ness he perceived is _right_—that you hate him and wish that he, the perverted loser, would get away from you. And thus, he has done so." Narusegawa was silent. She had no answer. She didn't want to say it…but yet she knew deep down somewhere in the darkness inside of her that this was true; _she_ was the one who had driven Keitaro away. And not only that, Motoko had been there to receive him. What had she done?

"What did I do!" she asked desperately, regretfully. "What have I done!" Narusegawa put her head back on the table now.

"Naru, you have to move on," Kitsune said. She, even throughout all of the years with Naru, had never dealt with her best friend losing someone she had actually loved, and although it irked her now (_I mean, I had **told**_ _her to move on quicker,_ Kitsune thought), she knew that the only option left was for Naru to move on. She had, so her best friend had too as well.

"I…I can't!" Naru cried. "Why can't I get him out of my head!" She banged her head on the table as if maybe a physical strike might slam Keitaro away. It didn't work.

"Naru look at me!" Kitsune commanded, and held Naru's head in her arms still. Naru's red-eyes shone for a second, and Kitsune felt a twinge of sympathy, but she continued with determination. "Naru…you can't ever get him out of your head. But that doesn't mean you don't have to cut off contact with him, nor does it mean that you have to cut off contact with _us _either. No one is completely happy with what happened, but you have to let go. Release him; it'll feel a lot better." Naru still looked at Kitsune.

"Naru-sempai!" Shinobu spoke up. "You…we all love Sempai, but with that we all want him to be happy, and, well…" Naru held up one hand.

"I…I know," she said, stopping her tears. "But…it was just all my fault…if I had been a week earlier…"

"No one can change the past," Kitsune told her. "Sometimes things just don't end happily for all of us. **But** the way to determine if this is an ending or simply a turn of the page is for us to decide. If we hold onto grudges, refuse to forget past loves, or are not able to let go, then we have closed the book prematurely—there probably still is an epilogue."

"There always is an epilogue," Sakura said, smiling. She was standing up next to Naru. "Perhaps if you saw him one more time, the epilogue might come sooner than you think." Sakura held out a hand to help her up. Shinobu and Kitsune also stood up.

"I…" Naru started, and then decided against what she was going to say. "I won't run away." She took Sakura's hand and stood up, wiping away her tears.

"Hey, Sakura-chan! Everyone! Hello!" The group spun around and saw Komachi running towards them, waving.

"Oh! Did you find Sempai!" Shinobu asked.

"Yeah…he went off with…Motoko," Komachi said slowly, as she noticed Naru was in the group.

"Good," Sakura said. "Where?"

"To…uh…where did Keitaro-kun say? Oh yeah, Watanabe's." Sakura smiled.

"Dinner, anyone?" she asked.

---------------------------------Watanabe's Restaurant---------------------------------

"Ah yes," the waitress said. "We have a seat that just opened up for number 258. You two are lucky. Follow me, please." She lead them to a table that had all the usual dressings on it already—fancy pink tablecloth, two different glasses, one knife, three different forks, two different spoons, and a folded napkin on top of a plate.

"Woah," Keitaro said. "Why are there so many utensils here?"

"Aren't you the one who had come here before?" Motoko asked. "Oh Mr. Experienced?"

"Well…" Keitaro started, and here he put his hand behind his head and chuckled nervously again. "I didn't really ever eat here. You see, I always got in line and then…"

"Don't tell me," Motoko said.

"Well…something always came up," Keitaro finished. "Heck once, I almost died during the waiting time." Motoko paused and didn't say anything.

"Ok, ok, that did happen just now, but I'm not lying to you," Keitaro told her. A waiter came by and handed out menus.

"Hello, my name is Torhu, and I'll be your server today. Would you like to start with a drink or appetizer?"

"Uh…water is fine," Motoko said.

"I'll have water too," Keitaro told him.

"…Okay, I'll be back in a moment with your waters and hopefully by then you'll be ready to order." The waiter walked away.

"Well…" Keitaro started, while leaning back in his chair. "Err…" Motoko looked away from Keitaro to the floor, and then looked back.

"Keitaro…I have to ask you something," she said. "And I hate to bring this up, but it's about Narusegawa." Keitaro stiffened slightly, but thinking about what he had decided before, he knew that he had made his decision. Could he go back now? No, if he ever wanted to move on in life, he would have to stick with his decisions he made, even if he made then within himself because he knew that if you constantly go back on what you believe, you will never end up believing in anything or anyone, and _that_ can't be good for you.

"Motoko…you don't need to say anything about her anymore," Keitaro said. He peered into her eyes. "Narusegawa is no longer an object of my affection." There was no hesitation, no stuttering, and no pause. It was the truth and Keitaro's reality.

"But…but…" Motoko started to say, but her samurai senses suddenly made her turn around and she noticed Komachi, Sakura, Kitsune, Shinobu and…_Naru? Is that Naru coming over here?_

"Narusegawa?" Keitaro breathed. Both watched the little group approach their table.

"Hello, Keitaro," Naru said, her hands twisted behind her back and her head focused on the floor.

"Hello…everybody," Motoko said slowly. She peered at Komachi who shrugged and pointed to Sakura.

"Hello," Keitaro said. Everyone else quietly watched what would happen. Their gazes met; a point of contact was made.

_Oh Keitaro…it's too late, isn't it?_ Naru thought.

_Narusegawa…I'm sorry,_ Keitaro thought.

"I-I'm sorry," Naru said, bowing her head suddenly. Keitaro was taken aback for a moment, but before he could say anything Naru continued. "You know, for everything. I realize that…well…it was all an accident."

"That's…okay. I realize it was all an accident as well," Keitaro said. He smiled and suddenly offered his hand out to Narusegawa.

"Okay," she said, straightening up. She shook his hand. "And call me…Naru."

"Ah…ok…Na-naru," Keitaro said.

"So how are you?" Sakura asked, breaking the silence.

"Just…fine," Motoko said, indicating that she was not fine at all, and it mainly had to do with the fact that Sakura had dragged them over here. Sakura smiled innocently…or perhaps deviously?

"That's great! I knew you two would make it!" she said, clapping her hands in excitement.

"Make what?" Motoko asked.

"A ba—" Kitsune started, but before she could finish Naru had grabbed her and started to pull her away.

"We'll just leave you guys to your dinner. Um…see you later, Keitaro?" Naru said. Shinobu saw Keitaro brighten.

"Yes…yes I will! I'll see you guys all later!" he said cheerfully and waved goodbye to them.

----------------------------------------------Hinata-Sou--------------------------------------

:9:00PM:

"Well he looked happy," Komachi commented as they all walked back to the inn. It was beginning to get dark.

"Why wouldn't he?" Sakura said. She climbed the stairs with vigor, leaping two at a time.

"I don't know…I was just stating a fact," Komachi said irritably. Annoyingly, and to her complete astonishment, whatever Sakura had done or said today had been the right thing to say.

"Well, next time make it a more interesting fact," Sakura said. That was it.

"YOU!" Komachi yelled, and she brought out her sword and with an evil intent swung at Sakura. She missed, but only barely. **CLANG!** Her sword hit the stone steps and reverberated.

"Nyah nyah!" Sakura teased, sticking out her tongue at her. Komachi hadn't quite mastered the release of ki that Motoko had, but that didn't mean that Komachi was weak in any other way. If you got hit with that sword, you would be out for several hours.

"DIE DIE!" Komachi yelled. She was more athletic than Sakura, more nimble, but she somehow _just_ slipped away in time. **CLANG CLANG CLANG! **Three short strokes hit nothing but air and stone.

"Man," Kitsune said, watching them run around. "I guess now we'll have to settle for this."

"Ah…" Shinobu said, catching on. "Yes…it's sad isn't it? I guess the Hinata-Sou will be quieter without Motoko chasing Sempai around." The stopped at the top of the stairs and watched the two run everywhere and anywhere.

"WATCH OUT BELOW!" And suddenly without warning, a huge explosion slammed into the ground right in front of Kitsune, Naru, and Shinobu. Even Komachi and Sakura paused briefly. The dust and debris from the smoking wreck in the middle fell away to reveal…

"Keitaro?" Kitsune asked.

"H-hi," he said, waving shakily while trying to stand up.

"Uh…" Shinobu started to say, but a shout overrode anything she was going to say.

"KEITARO! DON'T DO THAT AGAIN!" Keitaro sighed.

"Yes ma'am," he said as Motoko marched up the stairs, picked him up by his collar and proceeded to drag him into the house. He gave an apologetic look at everyone.

"What y'all up to?" Su asked, popping her head out of a second floor window.

"Don't ask," Kitsune said.

"Hey, Naru's back! Hah!" she said, and jumped out and landed right in front of Keitaro and Motoko.

"Motoko!♥" Su cried.

"We'll have to do this later, Su. I have to teach this guy some manners," Motoko said, and she stomped inside and away.

"Woah!" Sakura said, peering after the two. "I wonder what happened? She almost never ignores Su."

"Hmmph!" Su said, crossing her arms huffily. "I'll have to do something about this. Sakura, come here!" Sakura nodded eagerly and left with her.

"H-hey! I didn't punish you properly yet!" Komachi yelled, but they disappeared. Komachi's anger had dissipated by now anyways, and she sheathed her sword.

"Hm…" she said, her hand on her chin.

"I wonder…" Kitsune started.

"What—" Naru continued.

"Went on?" Shinobu finished hopefully. They all looked at each other and shrugged.

"Perhaps we'll keep the noise for a while anyways," Naru said. And for the first time in a long time, she smiled. "Let's go in. I'm sure everyone could use a little sleep."

-----------------------------------------Hinata-Sou Roof Top--------------------------------

:March 7th, Sunday, 5:30 AM:

"HIYA!" Motoko yelled.

"Hi-hiya…!" Keitaro panted. He was not having a good time. He had been awake since five o'clock in the morning, and even though it was a Sunday, supposedly the day of rest.

"Come on, Keitaro. We've only just begun," Motoko said. "Only half an hour has passed." Keitaro looked at her incredulously.

"Only 30 minutes?" he asked.

"I'm glad you can do math," Motoko said. "Now more effort; once again. HIYA!"

"HI! YA!" Keitaro said, taking breaths in between each syllable.

"Keitaro…what did I say about doing that? One breath will get you greater effort. Now, face me," Motoko ordered. Keitaro turned around slowly.

"What are we doing…?" Keitaro asked, but then suddenly saw a gleam in Motoko's eyes. Her devil eye.

"DIE!" she shouted, and swung down. Keitaro was forced to defend by exerting all of his effort into a horizontal block. The hit down was so heavy that Keitaro was forced to his knees. She kept on pressing downwards…and downwards…until her blade was an inch from his face even though he was using all the effort that he contained. Soon his knees gave way and he collapsed onto the ground

"Mo…to…ko…" he gasped. But her eyes blazed fiercely. Keitaro decided that he would die if this continued any longer, but then again, if he released. He closed his eyes and swallowed. He took a deep breath, put one hand on the ground, and then forced himself upwards off the ground with a giant heave and shove.

"HIYA!" His shout seemed to energize his shove, and his body moved half a foot upwards…maybe. But the important part was he had moved at all, _Although I don't know what good it'll do me. Perhaps I should just release and die._ How was this training anyways? Motoko was so close to him that he could…suddenly he smiled inwardly. **SMOOCH!♥**

Motoko stiffened, pushed away and stumbled back, breathing hard. She landed on the ground. Keitaro got up and wiped his brow of sweat, also breathing hard.

"That…that wasn't fair," Motoko said. "That…that wasn't what I was trying to—"

"Well what were you trying to teach me?" Keitaro asked. He dropped his sword and approached Motoko. "You almost killed me!"

"Well…" Motoko said, looking away and towards the ground. "I thought you were invincible…and that if pressured you might succeed. You know, that's how I first learned to fight…so I thought that maybe…"

"Motoko," Keitaro said, "I love you, but I hope that you won't try to kill me because of that." Motoko blushed slightly.

"Ok ok…" she said. Keitaro sat down besides her.

"Besides…" Keitaro said, "You have to give me a while before you can try that. It's not like I'll be able to pull out a secret move in a couple days only."

"Ok ok." The sun had just begun to rise, its brilliant rays shooting out from the horizon like an explosion from one of Su's machines. The difference, however, was the sun was not destruction, it marked the creation of something, the beginning of a new day, a new chapter in not only their, but everyone's lives.

"You know," Motoko said, as she leaned her head on Keitaro's shoulder. "I don't think I've ever seen the sun rise."

"But you've been out here every day this early! How could you miss it?" Keitaro asked.

"I've always been too distracted with my swordplay," Motoko said. "It's really beautiful." Keitaro kept silent as the sun entered with pomp and circumstance, now fully showing its rays like it knew that it was the reason life existed on the earth. Higher and higher it rose, turning from a multiple array of reds, pinks, and oranges into a bright and brilliant yellow hue.

"Sempai! Motoko! Breakfast!"

------------------------------------Hinata-Sou Dining Room--------------------------------

:7:00 AM:

"ITADAKIMASU!" Sakura and Su shouted together at the same time. It seemed that somehow the Hinata-Sou had grown by two people: namely Komachi and Sakura. They had slept over last night and now with Sakura, it was almost like having **two** Sus although one even though one had been hard enough to manage.

"Su!" Naru shouted.

"Sakura-chan!" Komachi shouted.

"You guys should wait for the love birds to arrive," Kitsune said, awake bright and early just to see them come in. She had even prepared a video camera.

"Speak of the devil," Naru said, as Motoko and Keitaro came in.

"Devil? What devil? Does someone need to be exorcised?" Motoko asked.

"No no…never mind," Shinobu said, sweat-dropping. She was still making food because she had forgotten about Sakura and Komachi.

"And why are you two still here?" Keitaro asked, meaning Sakura and Komachi.

"Well, it was really late last night so I didn't want to go home really late. Plus it's the weekend," Komachi said. "And I couldn't get Sakura-chan to go either." She frowned. "I can't get her to do much these days, without Motoko pulling on her reins as well."

"You're right," Motoko agreed. "It is not without good reason that I now do this." She took out something in her palm. "Sakura-chan!"

"Eh?" Sakura replied, her cheeks like a squirrel.

"Catch," she said and tossed a cherry-sized object into her palm.

"Huh? That's one of my—" Su started to say but then suddenly a huge explosion rocked the dining room, upsetting the table, the food, and charring everyone except Motoko and Keitaro.

"Was…was that really necessary?" Keitaro asked, pointing at the aftermath and sweat-dropping.

"Of course. Sakura, you will listen to whatever Komachi says from now on," she commanded.

"Ye-yes…" Sakura answered in a daze.

"And Kitsune…NO MORE CAMERAS!" Motoko yelled.

"Ah! Whatever are you talking about?" Kitsune asked, standing up and brushing the ash off of her body.

"Don't lie. I sensed it and blew it up with that bomb," Motoko said.

"Ah haha…" Kitsune giggled. "Oh well."

"…but was it really necessary to BLOW UP THE REST OF US!" Naru shouted at her.

"Unintended casualties. I do apologize," Motoko said.

"Well," Kitsune started to say with a devious smile forming on her face, "I do believe the unintended victims should be able to request a favor."

"Kitsune, you were not an unintended casualty. You were purposeful," Motoko said.

"No, no, she's right," Naru said smiling as well.

"Ah…Narusegawa…" Keitaro started to say but she continued, ignoring Keitaro.

"And so I want you two to do something for me!" Naru finished.

"Mee too! Mee too! I want you to make me more food," Su said, holding out her plate of ash covered food.

"Ah…I want a favor too!" Shinobu exclaimed.

"Ok ok…I will grant you a favor, as unintended casualties," Motoko conceded.

"Don't I get a say in this?" Keitaro asked.

"No," Kitsune answered for him.

"Let's see," Naru said, "Keitaro…Motoko…you haven't told your sister have you?"

"Uh…no," Motoko said.

"Well you'd better tell her, haven't you?" Naru said.

"Ah…no," Keitaro told her.

"Go. Now. And don't forget the speaker phone setting!" Motoko and Keitaro both hung their heads and dragged their feet all the way to the phone.

"Are you sure you want us to do this?" Keitaro asked.

"Yes," Naru replied. Motoko dialed the number. _Please…please don't let her be at home!_ She thought desperately.

"Hello?" _Crap,_ Keitaro thought.

"Ah…ne-chan?" Motoko asked.

"Ah! Motoko-chan! How goes it? Or is it really Keitaro-kun? Ho ho!" Tsuruko chuckled.

"No, ne-chan it's really me!" Motoko said.

"Really? Then that means…does it? Where is your manager?" Tsuruko asked.

"I'm right here, ne-chan," Keitaro said.

"Oh ho ho," Tsuruko chuckled once again. "So you two are…? Can I say it?"

"If you must," Motoko sighed.

"Lovers?" Tsuruko finished.

"Ne-chan!" Motoko yelled.

"Manager-kun, if you could see me now I'm holding up my pinky," Tsuruko said.

"Ne-chan!" Keitaro shouted, blushing.

"Ne-chan…I had no idea you were so weird," Motoko said.

"Visited any hotels yet?" Tsuruko asked.

"NE-CHAN!" Motoko and Keitaro yelled together.

"Are you two at least engaged?" Tsuruko asked. Motoko and Keitaro hesitated.

"Well…" Motoko started.

"We haven't discussed it," Keitaro continued.

"Officially. But…" Motoko said.

"We were thinking…" Keitaro said.

"Oh I'm so glad for you! When's the wedding! I want to come! I've done this before, so I know exactly what to do! I'll be over tomorrow!" Tsuruko exclaimed and then she hung up.

"Err…" Keitaro said. "Ne-chan? Hello?"

"Well," Naru said. "When's the wedding?" The little group forced Motoko and Keitaro into a wall.

"Yeah, we all want to know. You're not getting away without that," Komachi said.

"Ye-yes! That's what I want to know for my favor!" Shinobu said.

"Don't forget my food!" Su said, waving her empty plate (she had eaten the ash covered breakfast).

"Err…" Keitaro said, looking at Motoko.

"Ah…" Motoko stuttered. She looked back at Keitaro who nodded.

"RUN!" Motoko yelled suddenly, whipping out a blast of ki from her sword with the quickness of a snake and they bolted from the scene.

"He-hey! Come back here!" Kitsune shouted.

"I want my favor! Give me food!" Su yelled. "Take this!" She whipped out a bazooka and fired.

"Su!" Shinobu yelled. "What did we say about firearms in the inn!" **KABOOOM!** A smoking hole in the wall let them see Keitaro and Motoko just dodge it.

"You won't get away!" Komachi yelled as well.

"Sakura! Where's the ultima we produced yesterday!" Su yelled. Sakura suddenly clasped her hands and, bringing them back as if she were cupping a bug she flung forward her hands and unleashed a huge wave of energy (A/N: Think kameamea wave).

"Ahhhhhh!" **BANG! BOOM! CLANG!**

Naru put her hand over her face and sighed while Shinobu sweat-dropped.

"Didn't someone say it would be quiet in here?" Naru asked.

"I'm sorry," Shinobu apologized. "I forgot that was quite impossible."

"Nah, don't worry," Kitsune said, watching Sakura, Komachi, and Su fire, smack and throw attacks and energy around. "It's cool. It wouldn't be the Hinata-Sou if this didn't happen!"

"Right…" Naru said, sweat-dropping.

**THE END**

A/N: THAT'S IT! I FINISHED THIS STORY BECAUSE I HAD TO NOT KILL MYSELF OVER NOT FINISHING STORIES EVER.Although, I probably will add a bit of an epilogue. Hmm….maybe I'll add a sequel? I could write a sequel, this story leads to a sequel. I mean, you didn't even learn if Keitaro got into Todai or not, although that isn't that important to this story. So, how about this: you readers can decide whether or not this story deserves a sequel or not, but I have to warn you. It may be a while before the sequel is written. One other thing: I'm sorry if this couple chapters have been very angsty and mushy (and I also realized that I spent three chapters approximately on ONE day, March 6th) but I'm trying to develop that style of writing because as I write more I come to see the need to actually be able to write romance. But I always try to focus on humor, so I hope I have done that throughout this story. Thank you for reading this story and if no one wants a sequel expect an epilogue to really wrap things up! Please…one last time, R&R! Thanks!


	17. Marriage Battle!

Harmony of One

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina, any of its characters, or any thing Love Hina-ish. Ken Akamatsu does. So thank him for creating this awesome manga series.

A/N: Hoo HAH! I finished my story. But as promised, here is the epilogue (didn't someone say "there always is an epilogue"? GACCKK!) You know what, though. I was reading my own story again and realized…the incredible cheesiness of it. BUT on the other hand, it's a lot better than what I had done before, so that's a good sign! I think I will write a Sequel…we'll have to see what it's about though. Here is a short epilogue to satiate you until the sequel…hopefully. One more thing. One reader was confused on _why_ they had to tell Tsuruko about them, if they met her at the museum. Well, this is my answer: at that time, Tsuruko didn't know much, only that they had switched. And she was asking who was who just to pull their legs because as far as I can tell from the manga, it would seem like she'd be one who would LOVE to tease them. I might even make the next story more about her…hmm…

"…" Denotes speech

_Italics_ Denotes thought

**Bold** Denotes sound effects

Certain Sounds:

**GOOMPH! **Means Fainting/Face-Faulting

**DOOONG!** Means Shock

::blah:: Denotes time/time change

----------------------------------- Denotes a scene/scene change

Epilogue: Marriage Battle!

--------------------------------------Hinata-Sou Roof------------------------------------

**CLACK! SLASH!** Two bokens were viciously clashing above the Hinata-Sou, early in the morning. In fact, it was about 5:30 AM, a time where commuters, businessmen, priests and nuns may get up. However, if you were Motoko, you would have been up since 5:00 AM. And that's exactly who was up.

"Hiya!!" Motoko yelled, swinging her boken down heavily, but it was blocked with a horizontal motion.

"Not yet." Of course, if you were to be awake since 5:00 AM and were fighting someone else, you would have to drag someone else with you to fight. Motoko had done that…almost. **SLAM!** Motoko's wooden sword slammed into a lock and she pushed with all her might against the other, but it wouldn't budge. It remained in the same position while Motoko struggled.

"This…might last a while," Motoko said.

"Un," Keitaro merely grunted. He was concentrating, and using all of his energy in order to break out of the lock too, but he was just too weak to do anything.

"Manager-kun! Push! Motoko, you're not correctly utilizing that stance I taught you," Tsuruko said. Yes, Motoko actually had not dragged Keitaro up here, but rather Tsuruko had dragged Keitaro and Motoko both up here to fight. Why?

"HIYA!" Motoko yelled, shifting her feet position and weight to give her an extra shove. But as opposed to knocking Keitaro off his feet, Keitaro released the pressure on his sword and directed Motoko off to the side, effectively deflecting the extra weight that Motoko had given in trying to unbalance Keitaro. Had Motoko been any type of normal kendo swordswoman, this would have meant defeat (for Keitaro had actually started to get better in his swordplay), but as Motoko sent down towards the side she planted her hands on the ground and did a handspring, smashing her feet into Keitaro as she flipped over. **SMACK!!**

"Oww!" Keitaro cried. Motoko immediately pressed her advantage. Once, a long time ago it seemed, Keitaro had done a bare-handed stop of her ultimate technique. That would never, ever, happen again.

"Manager-kun! What did I say?" Tsuruko scolded. But Keitaro couldn't answer as Motoko slammed his back with her sword, sending him splattering down towards the ground. **BAAM!**

"Oh…looks like you lost again," Tsuruko said. Motoko offered a hand to Keitaro.

"Sorry," she said.

"Sorry?" Keitaro asked. "What do you mean sorry? What part of that was sorry?" Motoko shrugged.

"Sorry you lose so often?" Motoko asked.

"What?! I don't lose so often!!" Keitaro nearly shouted. He had this running bet with Motoko that he could beat her in kendo – once. Secretly, he had also promised himself that he had to beat her before he could officially ask to marry her. Tsuruko had been told of this, and almost with a giddy happiness had come over to train Keitaro. Motoko was in the dark, but there was no way in heck that Keitaro would beat her.

"You can't deny the fact you have lost every single time, Manager," Tsuruko told him after a pause. Keitaro sweat-dropped.

"Fine…fine…it's true, I suck," he said gloomily. Motoko immediately spoke up.

"You do suck quite a bit," she admitted.

"Hey!" Keitaro protested. "Aren't you supposed to cheer me up instead of putting me down?" Tsuruko chuckled.

"Well, I guess this session is over," Tsuruko said, walking off.

"Cheer you up? If that could help your kendo skills then maybe I'd try it!" Motoko argued back.

"Maybe it would!" Keitaro retorted.

"Fine!!" Motoko said. "You don't suck! Are you any better?"

"That's not what I meant!" Keitaro shouted.

"Then what did you mean?" Motoko yelled.

"I meant," Keitaro said, "That maybe if you'd be nicer I would win!"

"Ha! Then it would be a fake win!" Motoko said.

"…I know…" Keitaro said, sitting down, suddenly gloomier then before.

"He-hey!" Motoko said. "I…I didn't mean to…uh…say you suck that much," Motoko said. "I thought we were just joking."

"No…no…it's okay, anyways, shouldn't we…? Huh? Where'd your sister go?" Keitaro asked.

"I don't know…" Motoko asked, looking around. "Anyways, we still have time; here, I'll show you how to use some of the more complicated attacks."

"Ok," Keitaro said, and he stood up.

----------------------------------------Hinata-Sou Dining Room------------------------------------

::8:00 AM, April 14th::

"It's sure been lively here the past couple days," Shinobu said, smiling nervously while watching everyone eat. She had _almost_ burned the food when she saw the state Sempai had been in from Kendo training. But, the food had seemed edible (at least Sakura and Su ate it down just as fast), so she was watching. Of course, Tsuruko was an added person to cook for and Motoko's friends came over nearly every day now.

"Ah, well you know why," Naru said. Shinobu nodded. Keitaro had told everyone about what he had planned to do (except Motoko, of course), and everyone was nervously, or happily, watching and waiting for the day he would pull out another bare-handed counter.

"Today?" Kitsune asked, coming in late as usual, although surprisingly early for Kitsune. Lately, though, she had been coming in earlier because she decided to learn how to do something instead of laying about all the time. Recently she had been trying to help Haruka with her tea shop, although who knew how that was going.

"Nope," Su replied.

"It may never happen," Sakura said.

"Oi!" Keitaro said. Sakura smiled at him.

"Just kidding!♥" Sakura said.

"Oh well," Kitsune said, sitting down and taking her food.

"What may never happen?" Motoko asked curiously.

"Ah…you know, that rat we were trying to get rid of," Naru said, covering up for Keitaro.

"Myuh!" Tama-chan agreed. It was floating around the table lazily.

"Rat?" Motoko asked. "I could get rid of it for you."

"No!" Keitaro said. "It's ok, we called a professional."

"You did?" Haruka asked, coming in.

"Hey, Aunt Haruka," Keitaro said. **BAAM!** "Sorry Haruka-san!" Haruka continued to speak as if she hadn't just beaten up her nephew viciously.

"Seta said he might be dropping by today," Haruka said. "And if he does, tell him I went on a long vacation."

"You're going on a vacation?" Keitaro asked.

"No!" Haruka said.

"Wait, then why would we tell him you went on a long vacation?" Keitaro asked.

"Keitaro, how do you not understand this?" Naru asked. "Maybe you need to go on a long vacation."

"What? Why would I need to vacation?" Keitaro asked. Everyone (except Su and Sakura) sighed, sweat-dropping.

"Never mind," Haruka said. "Just tell Seta that—"

"Tell me what?" Seta asked, coming in.

"Great…just great…" Haruka said. "Let's go outside for a minute."

"Ha ha…" Naru chuckled. "Haruka-san is still like that, it's funny." She stood up and stretched.

"Where are you going?" Kitsune asked.

"I'm just going for a dip in the hot springs," Naru answered, walking out the door.

"Wait for me!" Kitsune said, shoving the last bits of food into her mouth and running to catch up. They left both their dirty dishes on the table as they left.

"Of course," Keitaro said, noticing this. If it didn't get cleaned up by him then Shinobu would do it and he hated to make Shinobu do so much. Kitsune and Naru just didn't really clean up. Ever.

"How's the training Sempai?" Shinobu asked, sitting down to just start her meal as well. She always ate after the others, but it was always around the time that Keitaro and Motoko came in from their extended training time so she was happy.

"Grueling," Keitaro said. He was eating slowly because he had been subjected to multiple beatings – more than the usual amount anyways. However, he was glad because he felt that every time he lost he was that much closer to winning, and, well, after that…

"He's getting better. At least now I can't fool around when fighting against him," Motoko told Shinobu.

"Oh. Well keep trying harder Sempai!" Shinobu cried in support. They finished eating and Keitaro helped to clean up their dishes while Motoko excused herself to go take a nice relaxing dip in the hot springs.

"Too bad he didn't beat Motoko today. I really wanted him too!" Motoko heard Naru say as she entered the locker room. She was in the next row over, talking to Kitsune, apparently, because then Kitsune said,

"Yeah. Then he could have done it! And there would be no more agonizing." Motoko stood behind the locker to hide. She had been wondering what they were talking about this morning – she had also previously heard allusions to it and was very curious why Keitaro had to beat her. She could feel that he really wanted to beat her, but so far had not deciphered the reason. He was guarding that very carefully, and all of her efforts to try to find out have been thwarted. Until now, perhaps? She listened on.

"Well he wouldn't be agonizing if he wasn't so stupid and make such a dumb promise, one that he is as likely as completing as he is getting into Todai," Naru said.

"Well, you never know, because that may happen still. When do you hear back?" Kitsune asked. Motoko heard them finishing up and moved still farther behind the locker.

"In couple months, because they had to stupidly delay the results. Something about test answers stolen or something. But I'm so excited I can barely keep still. But I'm also cautious this time…last time was crazy, and I don't want the same thing to happen if I don't get in," Naru said.

"Oh don't worry," Kitsune instantly reassured her. "I'm sure you'll get in this time. Last time was a fluke."

"Like Keitaro will be if he ever fulfills his stupid promise he made to himself." At this time, Naru and Kitsune were walking out of the locker room, but didn't see Motoko hiding behind them.

"Yeah, I mean, who makes such a promise as that? He's going to wait until he beats Motoko to propose? Stupid," Kitsune said, laughing, and Naru and Kitsune exited the locker room.

Shock. Motoko was in shock. Keitaro wanted to…wait…what did they say? Propose? _I'm not…I mean, it has only been…_, Motoko started to think. _But I have known him for much longer, even if we have only been going out for only a couple months. Or maybe he knows that beating me will take a long time? What should I do?_ She sat down on the floor, pondering, thinking, and finding no answer. _I love him…but that should mean that I shouldn't _let_ him win. He has some pride...but how can I fight seriously?_ She sat down on the bench dejected. She had NO idea what to do…could she even ask anyone about it? Could she talk to her sister, Haruka-san, or even Keitaro himself about this matter? Would any of them admit it? Could she…?

"Motoko-chan!" Suddenly Motoko heard her name being called by Shinobu.

"Ye-yes Shinobu-chan?" she answered nervously. Darn it, why was she so nervous?

"Oh, are you taking a bath?" Shinobu asked. "Never mind. We were all going to celebrate Seta-san coming back, but it can wait. Take your bath." Suddenly an idea came to her. Seta-san! She could ask him! After all, he should know a lot about…but then he still hasn't gotten Haruka-san to marry him yet despite numerous attempts at a proposal…but there wasn't anyone else she could think of that wouldn't already know Keitaro's secret! Hopefully she would get to him before Keitaro spilled his guts, otherwise Motoko would do it for him.

"No, no, I'm coming out, let's go celebrate!" Motoko said, and quickly exited the locker room.

---------------------------------Outside of Hinata-Sou-----------------------------------

"Kanpai!" The mugs clanked as the residents of the Hinata-Sou (plus Tsuruko, Haruka-san, Seta-san, Sakura and Komachi) smashed their glasses against each other and then proceeded to chug, drink, and sip the contents of their glasses. It wasn't all alcohol (especially not for Su and Shinobu) but it still made everyone happy to celebrate something since the resolution between…well all of the Hinata-Sou. Only now, of course, everyone was anxious for the time where Keitaro would propose to Motoko. They were just so _cute_…or at least looked very good together that everyone wanted to make it permanent – why did Keitaro make such a dumb decision as to **beating** Motoko in battle before proposing?

"Seta-san," Keitaro asked after an attempt to chug his glass faster than Kitsune (which failed miserably), "what is the _real_ reason you came back?"

"Real? Whatever do you mean Keitaro? Hahahahaha!" Seta-san said, laughing vigorously like he always did. _Stupid,_ Haruka thought, sighing mentally to herself.

"Well…Aunt Haruka will always reject you right? Why do you keep coming back?" Keitaro asked, of course not without the courtesy beat down by Haruka for using the word Aunt. "Sorry Haruka-san!"

"Haha, even if the only reason I came back was to be rejected by Haruka then I _would_ still come back. But since you guys are so fun it's good to come back anyways," Seta said, laughing. Haruka sighed once more, then stood up.

"Come over here," she said, grabbing onto Seta's coat and dragging him down the stairs into the Tea House.

"Oooo," Su said. "Are they going to make something delicious to eat?" Shinobu, who was looking at them enter the Tea House shook her head.

"I don't think so Su…" she said distractedly. The others continued drinking while Motoko fretted over her own drink and problems. She really wanted to talk to Seta alone, but how could she do it? Maybe now was the ideal time to go down there and talk to him about it…yeah, she could go and wait until they are done talking and then catch Seta by himself!

"I have to go to the bathroom," Motoko said, standing up suddenly. Keitaro looked at her funny, seemed like he was going to say something, but then closed his mouth.

"Ok," Naru said. "You can just go without telling us." Motoko walked towards the Tea House since that happened to be closer to the place they were celebrating then the Hinata-Sou. At least that's what Motoko hoped was closer; however no one said a word as she headed towards the Tea House.

"What is that all about?" Kitsune asked, showing one eye to look towards the direction Motoko was traveling to.

"I think…she wants to talk to Seta-san and Haruka-San about something," Keitaro said. "Did you guys…?"

"No!" Kitsune said. "Who do you think we are?" Kitsune pretended to be offended and hurt.

"Idiot. We're not as stupid as you who made that stupid promise in the first place," Naru said munching on a bread piece.

"Idiot?!! What about that—"

"It's a blood type report," Naru answered without blinking an eye. Keitaro, who had just been about to whip out his mock test score stopped midway. "In any case you didn't take the test, so what does that have to do with anything?"

"Yeah," Komachi said. "Motoko is the one with all the brains." Keitaro sighed, giving up.

"True," he said. He couldn't argue with that. "Motoko is so very smart…" Kitsune snorted in giggles.

"And you're so very dumb," she said. "Man, how did you end up with her?" Everyone looked at Keitaro for a moment. He shrugged.

"I dunno," he said to which Komachi flung a bottle at him. **CRACK!** It broke open on his head and beer flowed down his face.

"Ouch," he winced, reaching for a napkin to wipe his face off ("How is he still alive?" Sakura asked Su. "He's a zombie," Su told her, to which Sakura nodded).

"Laaaame answer," Komachi said.

"It's true!" Keitaro continued to say. "It's like…every time I think about it, she's so much more than I am…smart, pretty, good at Kendo, disciplined, resolute, strong…how did I end up with her? I can only account to God that this certainly must have been fate or something like that, where I have received blessings untold to have gotten a girl like her…and that makes me love her so much more. Which is why I want to beat her in Kendo before I propose…I feel like even just one time, no matter how lucky I am, when I am able to do it, Iwill be not just _physically_ ready, but mentally ready. I mean, if you ask me now, of course I _want_ to propose to her, but with this promise I made to myself I can sort of limit myself I think." Keitaro looked around him where all the girls' faces were in awe of his words. Keitaro, of course, misinterpreted it. "Oh, well," he said, chuckling nervously, "then again, I **am** pretty stupid…"

"No no no!" Komachi said, the first one to recover. "That is…I mean…"

"What she meant to say," Naru said, "Is how can an idiot like you become so smart all of a sudden?" Keitaro looked around again and saw this time the girls actually respected him. At least until Su came with Sakura and kicked him in the face. **BAAAM!**

"Yeeeooow!" Keitaro cried, flying off.

"Told you he was a zombie," Su said.

"Unh," Sakura confirmed.

----------------------------------Tea House---------------------------------------

"Please stop refraining from such comments in the future," Haruka told Seta, her voice exhibiting a slight tone of anger and annoyance.

"Comments? Whatever are you talking about?" Seta asked, smiling.

"Seta…I know you're generally stupid but could you please stop and think for once?!" Haruka asked impatiently. Seta opened his mouth with a wide grin on his face, paused, and then suddenly became serious.

"You know," he said, "I would still come back for you even if you rejected me every time."

"Yes," Haruka said, taking a long sigh. No matter how many times Haruka had told him to go away and forget whatever stupid promise had transpired…he stilled remained. Not only that, somewhere she knew every time he came back she was…_Oh never mind,_ she thought, getting angry again. **Creak! **The door opened slightly and a tiny voice was heard.

"Seta-san?" Motoko asked.

"Yes?" Seta responded, still in his serious mood. Motoko instantly recognized the seriousness of their conversation, and pulled out, but Haruka saw an opportunity to get away from this fool.

"No no, Motoko, stay here and talk…we're done." The finality of her words should have made clear to Seta that they were done, however a quick glance at Seta revealed a broadly smiling face meaning she would not be able to tell what he was really thinking. _Crap that man,_ she thought and exited the tea house while Motoko entered.

"H-hello…" Motoko said.

"Hello Motoko-chan! What's up?" Seta asked enthusiastically with a broad grin on his face. Motoko shuffled to a chair and sat down looking around worriedly.

"I…I…" Motoko started, but she looked around again to make sure no one was there.

"You can speak," Seta told her. "They're all up there partying." He smiled again. Motoko looked out the window once more, then relaxed.

"I need to, uh, ask you a personal question…about Keitaro," Motoko said, pushing down any hesitation she felt at that moment. She had never really asked anyone before about relationship issues, or at least seriously. She grimaced as she remembered asking Kitsune a question about…_ok, this isn't the time to remember that,_ she thought and turned back to Seta to pursue the more current and **important** questions she had. She didn't know how to say it properly, so just blurted it out. "I uh…ok, I found out something that I shouldn't have, but know I don't know what to do about it. And it has to do with Keitaro."

"Oh?" Seta said, the same exact expression on his face. Motoko was beginning to get annoyed with this face, but continued on…after all she had no one else she could confide in. And Seta, even with his annoying expression, was a serious man…sometimes.

"Um…well, you know that ever since I have started going out with Keitaro I have been training Kendo with him...and, uh…"

"Oh yes, he showed me what he's learned a while back, although I would imagined he's improved by now. A wonderful teacher teaching a wonderful learner…he's sure to be an expert by now," Seta said. Suddenly his eye gleamed. "So…has the student beaten the teacher yet?" Motoko froze, imagining for a moment that Seta knew everything, surely she had been too naïve to think that Keitaro couldn't send him an e-mail? Oh why had she gotten herself into this mess? But no, she was determined to get this out to someone, and even if Seta already knew, he could still help her. She was determined not to keep emotions bottled up inside of her.

"Um…no. Actually…I was wondering if you knew anything about that?" Motoko managed to ask. _Stupid! Just ask already what you want to know!!!_ She chastised herself.

"Oh…ah, about that? What's that? Keitaro beating Tsuruko?" Seta asked, this time putting a surprised expression on his face. Motoko mentally smacked herself again…of course he hadn't been talking about Keitaro and herself! Although Motoko had been teaching Keitaro kendo, Tsuruko had indeed been the main teacher. Her nerves were just getting to her…again. She took a deep breath then continued.

"I…need help and you're the only one who could help me. I'm in trouble because I overheard something I wasn't supposed to, something very serious. Err…" Motoko stumbled over the next sentence, realizing she had been staring at the floor. She looked up, saw Seta's face was concerned and serious this time, making her feel slightly odd because she had never seen him like this before, but comforted that he was serious now.

"Please continue," he said. Motoko breathed in again.

"I heard from Naru and Kitsune that Keitaro was going to propose to me if he could beat me in a kendo match," Motoko said. There. She had said it…but suddenly she had a thought: what if Seta was too dumb to pick up the implications? Would she have to talk more about it?

"And….?" Seta asked, causing Motoko to faint. **GOOMPH!**

"Well I don't know what to do now!!" Motoko cried out at Seta's stupidity.

"What do you mean you don't know what to do? Don't you want to marry him?" Seta asked. Motoko hesitated for a moment. No, she hadn't even **thought** of this subject at all for some reason. But then again, she didn't really need to, and picking up her courage she answered him.

"Of course!" she said. Seta smiled, but it wasn't his stupid smile, it was a true genuine smile.

"Than what's the problem? Clearly you want to marry him cause you love him…so just keep loving him then. If you let him win will he know? Certainly, for all his faults and stupidity, Keitaro is strangely acute about certain things," Seta said laughing.

"Are you supposed to call your protégé stupid?" Motoko muttered, but Seta either didn't hear or ignored the comment.

"So that would probably destroy his pride and you wouldn't want to do that? In fact, I would think you would want to try your hardest to not let him win at all anyways," Seta said, looking at Motoko straight on.

"Why? I want to marry him…" Motoko started, trailing off. She had suddenly come upon the answer that she had known anyways. Her kendo pride couldn't ever let her lose on purpose…even if that purpose were to get married! Wouldn't she then have given herself over? Where would it stop? If she took shortcuts to her goal now, would she ever stop? The prospects looked horrible for her if she did this thing now. She couldn't tell exactly why it would be, but the feeling of doom would not leave her. The words "try your best" floated in her brain, and somehow she wanted Keitaro to try his best. It was a win-win situation for her, in fact. If she won, her kendo pride was still intact, but if she lost…she would be proposed to! And she was ready to say yes!!

"You're…absolutely right!" Motoko cried, jumping out of her chair. Seta laughed at her youthfulness.

"Alright, just don't get too excited…now you should go and join the party," he said, to which she nodded. Waving goodbye, she exited the tea house leaving Seta sitting in a chair in the tea house alone. He took out a pack of cigarettes and his lighter. But suddenly, as if he had thought better of it, he threw the pack and the lighter into the trash for some odd reason, smiled, and stood up himself. "Speaking of which…so should I, seeing as I'm the guest of honor," Seta said, once again giving his famous smile. But this time it was to no one in particular. He left the tea house, his smile turning into laughter.

::Many Hours Later::

It was a wonderful celebration. Everyone got enough to drink (even the ones who weren't supposed to) and had such a wonderful time shouting, yelling, running around, breaking things, and generally causing ruckus all while managing to celebrate Seta coming back. It had been a while since he had last visited them, so everyone also managed to keep an eye on the interaction between Seta and Haruka, but alas it seemed that this time nothing happened…again. Tsuruko tried to teach Su and Sakura some new kendo moves, but Keitaro told her they were already dangerous enough without it, thank you very much, and he didn't wish to really test the limits of his immortality. Komachi sparred with Keitaro and won about 75 of the battles…but that other 25 was very impressive, if Komachi did say so herself, and Keitaro said it was the influence of the wine they had just bought…he joked that he was a secretly powerful drunken kendo fighter! In the end, everyone was so tired that they barely managed to drag everything back into the Hinata-Sou and fall asleep on the floor.

"zzzzzz…" It was silent and you could only hear the sound of sleep, that state in which anything could happen. Suddenly one form awoke and sat straight up.

"Huh?!" The form turned out to be a person, in particular, Motoko. She looked around, scratched her head, then slowly and silently got up. She had a mission right now, and nothing would be able to stop her. She tiptoed silently to the sleeping form of Keitaro and gazed into his face. The face stared blankly back at her, drooling a bit as Keitaro was still asleep. She meditated on what she was going to do next. Just before the part had started in earnest, she had told herself that she wouldn't let him win on purpose, but did that mean she would actually do it? Telling yourself is one thing, but it is always the execution of one's determined plan that makes things difficult.

_No,_ she told herself, _I won't fail,_ and then picked up the sleeping form of Keitaro and headed towards the roof. She wanted one more battle, to test Keitaro as well as herself – their willpower, their strength, their hope, and their dreams. Somehow, Motoko knew she wouldn't regret this battle. Why did she choose now? Perhaps so her resolve wouldn't weaken, perhaps so she could do it as soon as possible, but perhaps because somehow the night was ripe for a fight. _Fancy words for something so insignificant,_ Motoko thought. But then again, was it so insignificant? She would find out soon enough. What is the significance of it all?

"Huh, what?" Keitaro said, waking up as Motoko dumped him on the floor of the roof. He gazed about him, then looked up as Motoko handed him his practice sword. She had a smile on her face. Thoroughly confused, Keitaro stood up, scratched his head, then took the sword. "Uh…what are we doing Motoko?" Keitaro asked.

"Battling," Motoko replied simply, brushing down her clothes and pulling out her sword.

"Uh, why?" Keitaro asked. He, however, unsheathed his sword, because he knew that Motoko never battled without reason.

"For us," she replied, then suddenly slipped into the strongest opening combo that Keitaro had ever seen in his life. Having just woken up from a whole day of partying, Keitaro was not ready for this, his senses were slow and his movements worse. Normally, with all his wits about him he might have had a chance to block the attacks, but at this time he was beaten almost to a pulp. **WHACK! BAM! SLICE!** Motoko's sword was a virtual cyclone of metal attacks and when she finished Keitaro flew backwards and slammed into the railing of the roof. **BAAAM!**

"Again," Motoko said, and ran towards him once more. Keitaro, however, was invincible and this first beating managed to make him realize what Motoko was doing. He managed to dodge to the side, making Motoko smash the railing where he had been into pieces.

"Mo…to…ko…" Keitaro said through gritted teeth as he blocked attack after attack, barely managing to stay standing. "Are you…sure you want to…fight now?"

"Yes," Motoko said. "I have to make sure you're man enough for me." Keitaro's shock at what she said earned him Motoko's blade upon his head and he went flying towards the Hinata-Sou, smashing into the wall and crumpling on the floor.

"Again," she said, and pressed towards him for another attack. But Keitaro was thinking about other things. Motoko had never said anything like that before! Could she have…_yes,_ something told him. She knew what Keitaro wanted, and thus was accepting it by having an unrelenting battle with all of her strength against him. Ok, if that's what she wanted to do, Keitaro would comply with all of his strength!

"Hiya!" Motoko yelled slamming down her sword on his head. But Keitaro blocked it, saving his precious brain cells and throwing out his foot forwards into a kick aimed at her belly. Motoko saw the foot coming, however, and performed a sideways dodge causing Keitaro to stumble forwards. Motoko saw her chance and swung down hard, aiming for Keitaro's back. **CRRAAACCCKK!!!** Motoko's sword made contact and Keitaro went down. However, this move also served Keitaro well. For seeing no escape from the sword, he had turned to face her mid air and swung his sword at her head. When she buried her sword in Keitaro's belly, he closed up like a clam, causing his swing to increase in power and knock Motoko out. They both went flying in their respective directions and collapsed.

"That…was pretty good," Motoko said, sitting up while breathing hard and rubbing her head. Keitaro got up slowly, balancing on one knee.

"Yeah…" he said. There was a silence as both of them recovered.

"Did you…does that count as a win?" Motoko asked. Keitaro didn't answer but simply hobbled over to her. The moon suddenly seemed very bright; both Motoko and Keitaro hadn't noticed it before now. Keitaro punched Motoko with a fist and Motoko fell back down on to the floor.

"What was that for?!!" Motoko asked angrily; she tried to sit back up but Keitaro kept her down while smiling. He dropped something on her; it shimmered in the moonlight.

"Now I win," he said, collapsing onto Motoko. Motoko grabbed what he had dropped and gasped; she had expected it but it was still so amazing. She held it up once more too the moon; now it seemed that the moon was dim in comparison to the ring she held in her hand.

"Now you win," she said, and collapsed down onto the floor as well. They both slept through the night.

A/N: WHAT THE HECK? I updated something!! There was a tough decision…make an epilogue as long as a chapter or a short crappy epilogue? I know I said something was coming soon (SOON…haha) but it definitely could never have happened soon the way I don't pay attention to these things any more. I could write a sequel, I could not. I'm guessing you don't want me to unless I have some commitment to it so I think until I'm ready to commit to writing something long I won't write a sequel, plus I have other stories I foolish started without commitment of completing. I hope this epilogue was semi-satisfying at least! Thank you for reading!


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